


My Life in Ruins

by Gefionne



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Adventures and Romance, Alternate Universe - 1930s, Loosely based on Indiana Jones, M/M, Treasure-Hunting Adventures
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-18
Updated: 2018-08-19
Packaged: 2019-03-06 06:28:53
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 52,298
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13405407
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gefionne/pseuds/Gefionne
Summary: Dr. Armitage Hux is the preeminent archaeology professor at Arkanis University, but when he needs to find an ancient artifact, he has to enlist the help of treasure-hunter Kylo Ren. Together, they set off on an adventure to a temple from a bygone age, facing danger at every turn.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> The amazing [sakurita94](http://sakurita94.tumblr.com/) drew an Indiana Jones AU for our Kylo and Hux, and as soon as I saw it, I went screaming to ask to write it. I started with Sak's fantastic headcanons and built from there.

If Armitage Hux were to choose a way to spend his Thursday afternoons, it would not be in the stifling Tarkin Building lecture hall in front of sixty-five undergraduate students, who could not be less interested in his discussion of the ancient Hosnian pantheon. He had spent several hours the day before compiling his most exciting slides of artifacts to show the class, but it seemed that the only one in the room paying attention was his teaching assistant, Dopheld, who was changing the slides.

Teaching was far from Hux’s preferred activity as head of the Department of Archaeology at Arkanis University—he was a researcher first and foremost—but it was a required part of his tenure. So, he resigned himself to a section of Introduction to Archaeological Theory every semester. This one, the spring term of 1936, was no different than any of the others that had preceded it: tedious and filled with substandard final papers that he was forced to read.

In order to maintain his sanity, he changed the main theme of the course every semester, but this one was his favorite. He had been studying Hosnia, a small island off the coast of Brazil, and its culture since he had written his dissertation at Harvard. The inhabitants of the island had died off centuries before in a great epidemic, but, prior to their downfall, had had one of the richest and most fascinating religious traditions in the world.

“Next slide, please,” Hux said to Dopheld. The young man diligently changed it, revealing a photograph of an elaborate carving in the shape of a seated feline in front of a rising sun, its rays jutting out crookedly.

“This,” he said, addressing the class at large, “is a rendering of the Hosnians’ greatest goddess, chief in their pantheon, Shunra. While she was able to take on many forms, she was almost always depicted as a cat. But not just any cat; one with red-gold fur the color of sunrise.” He adjusted the round-rimmed glasses on his nose. “Who can tell me why the feline form was so meaningful to the Hosnians?”

No hands popped up among the seated students. When he had first started as a junior professor, Hux had been disappointed to discover that they did not share his passion for dead civilizations, and barely participated in the lectures. By now, however, he was numb to their disinterest.

“No one?” he said, giving them the second chance they did not deserve. “Very well. Mister Mitaka?”

Dopheld jumped up and answered: “Cats were few and far between on Hosnia, but were considered sacred because of their roles as hunters of the large volumes of rats on the island. Killing a cat was an offense punishable by death. At the temple of Shunra, the priests would cut out the—”

“Thank you, that will do,” said Hux, before Dopheld could continue. Despite the fact that he _did_ share Hux’s passion for Hosnia, Hux found him sycophantic and irritating. “Next slide please.”

The photograph of the carving was replaced by a drawing of a statuette taken from Hux’s own notebook. He had sketched the object based on a number of descriptions in various levels of detail, and was confident that it was a good approximation of its actual appearance.

“Can anyone tell me what this is?” he asked.

Silence. A minute of waiting through more silence.

Hux continued, “This is the Image of Shunra. Legend has it that it was cast of pure gold in the third century B.C. and placed on the high altar in the Temple of Souls at the center of the deep Hosnian jungle. The temple was said to have been built to honor all the gods, but at its pinnacle was the Image.” He approached the screen as if drawn to it, admiring the familiar lines he had sketched and looked over a hundred times. “Though the Hosnians are gone, the legends say that the Image is still in the temple, protected by numerous traps and puzzles, the solutions to which only the priests knew.”

Hux had spent the last ten years of his life scouring the records of visitors to Hosnia in search of narratives that described the maze that led to the top of the temple, and the room that held the Image of Shunra. He had found a variety of narratives about the traps, but never details, until six months ago. He had been going through the artifact archives of the National Museum of History when he had stumbled across an ancient text from Hosnia, brought back by the earliest explorers of the island. It was written in archaic Hosnian, but Hux was fluent and could read it all. In its pages were the names of each challenge anyone passing through the temple would face, and some information about them. Their solutions were not described, but Hux wasn’t surprised by that. He had been agonizing over them for months now, doing his best to discern their secrets; he had a few good ideas, but some of the answers still eluded him.

He was about to go into more detail about the worship of Shunra, but Dopheld’s tapping of his watch drew Hux’s attention. The end of the lecture period already, just when he was getting to the most interesting section. Nothing for it.

“We’ll stop there for the day,” he said. His “And start again with this next week” was drowned out by the closing of books and the shuffling of feet down from the upper tiers to the floor. Before he had even collected his notes, his students were gone.

“Excellent lecture, Professor Hux,” said Dopheld, shutting off the projector and setting it into its case. The slides he put carefully back into their slots in the tray. “Very gripping.”

“I’m very glad to hear it,” Hux muttered, dry. “Thank you for your assistance today. I’ll take the slides back to my office.” With his notes in one hand and the slides in the other, he left the hall and turned to go up the stairs to the faculty offices.

As Head of Department, he was entitled to a large office at the corner of the building, its large windows casting light over the desk; but he had declined, choosing to stay in the smaller space he had been given as a new faculty member. He had it arranged just as he liked, with books and papers and sketches carefully laid out. Certainly it looked a mess, but he knew where every note and book was hidden.

He juggled the slides as he pulled his keyring from his pocket and found the appropriate key: an old brass one engraved with Tarkin 210. He slid it into the lock and turned it hard, making sure to give it an extra jiggle when it stuck at about three o’clock. The lock clicked, and he was able to open the door. He paused, though, at the threshold, when he saw a small envelope sitting just an inch or so from the door. It must have been slipped under it while he was away.

Stepping over it for the moment, he set down his notes and the slides. He put them in their appointed places before retrieving the envelope. It was plain, nothing written on the front, and unsealed. He flipped up the back flap and pulled out the sheet of paper inside.

It was Arkanis University letterhead with a line beneath that read: “From the Office of the Dean of Sciences.” Hux held back a groan. Dean Snoke only ever sent a paper summons when he had some manner of bureaucratic nonsense to foist upon him. One of the downfalls of a university professorship was the meddlesome administration getting in the way of his research. Dean Snoke was particularly nosy, always breathing down the necks of his staff, and now he was requesting Hux’s presence promptly at a quarter of four in the afternoon, fifteen minutes after his lecture ended. That left Hux with exactly enough time to get back to his office, find the letter, and straighten his tie before he reported to Snoke’s office. The old bastard certainly knew Hux’s habits.

The dean occupied an office on the first floor of the Vader Building, adjacent to Tarkin. Hux walked briskly across the quadrangle, enjoying a brief breeze in the open air, and then ascended the marble stairs to Vader. Inside, he greeted Snoke’s assistant, Thanisson, who admitted him to the dean’s inner sanctum.

“Armitage,” Snoke said in his craggy voice as Hux entered, closing the door behind him. “Right on time.”

“Good afternoon,” said Hux. He waited to be invited to sit.

Snoke gestured to the chair across from him. “Please, have a seat. We have quite a bit to discuss.”

Hux did not appreciate the sound of that, but he sank down into the plush armchair. “Have we? I thought everything for my tenure review was in order.”

“It is, it is,” said Snoke. “This isn’t about that, I’m afraid. Your role here is not in question, but…” He hesitated, picking up a sheet of linen paper in front of him on the desk. “The matter of funding for your research sabbatical is.”

Hux’s stomach dropped. At last he was coming up on his year-long sabbatical—and respite from teaching—to do research. He already had the museums and archives he was going to visit picked out.

“How much has been withdrawn?” he asked, throat tight.

Snoke held out the paper. “All of it.”

Hux’s hand was trembling as he took the sheet and read the letter that would crush his aspirations for a new book to publish within the next three years. “I’m to have no sabbatical, then?”

“Not necessarily,” said Snoke. “There is, perhaps, another way to secure the money to pay your way.”

Hux could think of several disreputable ways he could earn on the side, but none of them were appealing. “And what is that?”

“The board of directors would like to see tangible evidence of your research to add to our collections.” Snoke steepled his fingers under his chin. “An artifact from...what’s that island you’re always on about?”

“Hosnia,” said Hux.

“Yes, Hosnia. In all the years that you’ve been studying it, you’ve never once been there?”

Hux licked his lips. This subject was a touchy one. While he had gone on some digs during his schooling, he had never been fond of working in the field. He preferred to study from the comfort of his office and in museums. It was uncharacteristic for an archaeologist, but it was how he worked. The quality of his journal articles and other publications had not suffered for it.

“I haven’t,” he said, carefully. “It’s a significant journey to get there, and as the university already has limited funds—”

Snoke waved him off. “We are willing to pay to send you on an expedition, Armitage, if it will mean you bring back something to show off to the board.”

“I see,” said Hux. He wanted to hang his head, but forced himself to keep it upright. “I suppose I can take a trip to Hosnia, though it will take some time and preparation.”

“That’s already been seen to,” Snoke said.

Hux’s brows rose. “What do you mean?”

“I’ve arranged a guide for you. Someone who has the necessary skills to get you to your destination and make sure you return safely.” Snoke sat back in his chair, eyeing Hux as if he didn’t believe him capable of doing either of those things himself. “He’s an acquaintance, and comes highly recommended.”

“I appreciate the effort,” said Hux, “but I would prefer not to put my welfare in the hands of someone I have not vetted myself.”

Snoke gave him a stern look. “May I remind you that the university is covering the cost of this, and should have a say in how it happens?”

Hux ground his teeth. “Very well, then. When am I to meet this ‘guide?’”

“This evening. He’s been given directions to your home, and will come promptly at eight o’clock.”

“All right,” Hux said, resigned. “May I have his name?”

“Oh, certainly,” said Snoke. “His name is Kylo Ren.”

 

* * *

 

The teakettle creaked oddly when it was first placed over the flame on Hux’s stove, but he had grown so used to it that he hardly noticed anymore. It was just another of the sounds in the old house on Starkiller Place to which he had grown accustomed in the three years he had lived there. The residence was reserved for the head of department, and had been built sometime in the mid-1870s when the trend was for ostentatious Victorian architecture that, while grand in appearance, lent itself to drafts and whistling on windy days. The house was cold in the winter and hot in the summer, never in between. Hux had a thick housecoat and a thinner dressing gown for mornings throughout the changing seasons.

Today had been one of the warmer spring afternoons, and he had stripped down to his shirtsleeves once he got home, but now that the sun had gone down, it was getting cooler. He put his camel-colored hopsack jacket back on, and paused by the mirror in the entryway to check that his hair and green tie were both in order. Hux had to be careful with his wardrobe; his coloring—pale and red-haired—didn’t lend itself to many colors. He wouldn’t have called himself overly vain about it, but he wasn’t careless with his appearance.

Taking his glasses from his breast pocket, he set them on his nose, so he could return to his work of sorting the notes and papers on his dining room table. He didn’t often have company of any kind, and had only ever hosted one dinner party; the room barely saw any use other than as a workspace for him when he wasn’t in his office. There were various maps and diagrams spread across it now, all of Hosnian topography and the supposed locations of ruins. Hux had been compiling them and cross-checking their validity against the journals of the island’s most famous (and notorious) explorers. He was preparing a lecture for the Annual Meeting of the Society for South American Archaeology, the conference he looked forward to every year, in July.

He was carefully organizing the papers when the kettle began to whistle. Almost simultaneously, the bell at the door rang.

“Bother,” he said as he hurried to the kitchen to see to the kettle. As he set it aside, the bell rang again. “Yes, yes. I’m coming.”

He had left the deadbolt unlocked, so he had only to release the latch before he could swing the door open. He hadn’t known what to expect when it came to the guide Dean Snoke had found for him, but he was shocked to find he didn’t have to look down to meet his eyes. Hux was not a small man, standing at six feet and one inch, but the man on his doorstep was a good two inches taller and half again as broad. He filled the entire doorway.

“Armitage Hux?” he asked in a deep voice that reverberated around the entryway.

Hux blinked behind his glasses, getting a hold of himself. “Ah, yes,” he replied. “I am. You must be—”

“Kylo Ren,” the man said, sticking out his hand. The nails were short and dirty around the edges, but the fingers and palms didn’t seem to be.

Hux took the proffered hand and shook it. “A pleasure to meet you, Mister Ren. Please come inside.” He backed away to allow Ren to step into the house.

Ren dropped a faded duffel bag by the door and lifted the broad-brimmed hat from his head, hanging it on the coat rack. The hair underneath was dark and hung unfashionably to his shoulders. He didn’t bother to remove the worn leather jacket he wore as he glanced around at the furnishings.

“Nice place,” he said. “Snoke said you work for the college. This one of the faculty places?”

“Yes, I work at the _university_ ,” said Hux, bristling at the dismissal of the institution as a mere college. “I am the head of the Department of Archaeology.”

Ren whistled through his teeth. “Fancy. You must be pretty damn good at looking at rocks and old bones, then.” He cocked a brow, lending him a roguish look. “Or maybe you’re the pottery shard kind. You look like you might like to piece together some old jars.”

Hux frowned, growing ever more displeased by the minute. “Did Dean Snoke tell you nothing about my work, or the purpose of our...arrangement?”

“Sure he did,” said Ren, sliding one hand into his trouser pocket. “We’re going to Hosnia for some kind of relic. Could be pottery, though. I can never be sure when it comes to these kinds of jobs.”

“And what kind of job is that?” Hux asked, snappish.

Ren didn’t bother to conceal it as he looked Hux up and down, from his neatly styled hair to his brown and white wingtip Oxfords. When he met Hux’s eyes again, he was smiling. “The kind where I get to show some academic type around like a tour guide while I listen to him whine about the bugs and heat.”

Incensed, Hux was about to deny that he would be that way on an expedition, but he remembered distinctly disliking both of those things about his previous fieldwork. He bit back his anger, and said, “We needn’t stand in the entryway all night. Would you care for some tea?”

“Have you got any whiskey to put in it?” Ren said as he followed Hux deeper into the house and toward the dining room.

Hux managed to hide the roll of his eyes. “Yes, I believe I have a bottle of Jameson in the liquor cabinet. Help yourself. I’ll just go get the tea.” He gestured in the general direction of the table as an invitation for Ren to sit before ducking into the kitchen.

He pressed his lips together with annoyance as he poured water into his heirloom teapot, over the leaves he had already spooned into it. He set it on a tray alongside two delicate cups and a plate of finger sandwiches he had painstakingly made that afternoon. He carried the full service toward the dining room.

Ren was not at the table when he came through the door, instead standing by the curio on the far wall. He had a Waterford crystal tumbler in his hand, filled with three generous fingers of whiskey. The curio contained the artifacts and odds and ends Hux had acquired over his career: painted native vessels, fetish dolls, a feather headdress, _pottery shards_. It was always fodder for conversation, or would have been if Hux ever held dinner parties.

“See anything of interest?” he said to Ren as he set the tea service down, china clinking.

“You’ve got some nice stuff here,” said Ren. “Nothing really valuable, but you aren’t really in it for the real treasure, are you?”

Hux shot a disdainful look at his back. “I consider these things treasures, Mister Ren. They are rare and should be preserved carefully.”

Ren turned, taking a sip of his drink. “Sure, sure, but they don’t really impress boards of directors, do they?”

So Snoke had told him about what Hux was meant to do on this journey.

“Perhaps not,” Hux said, pouring a cup of tea for himself, but not for Ren. He seemed content with his whiskey. “If those things aren’t of value to you, then what is? Gold, jewels?” He sucked his teeth indignantly. “Are you a treasure-hunter?”

Those were, in Hux’s opinion, the worst kind of people. They ran roughshod over the actual history of ancient cultures in search of things that could be sold. They were like the gold-seeking explorers of the New World, who brought ruin to its peoples in their quests for riches. If Ren was that kind of man, Hux wanted nothing to do with him.

Ren eyed Hux fixedly, as if trying to discern his motivations. “I’ve been on expeditions to look for all kinds of things, but I’m not a looter or a grave robber, if that’s what you’re implying.”

He seemed earnest enough, Hux thought, so he let the issue drop. “Please, sit,” Hux said. “We have a great deal to discuss if we’re to leave for Hosnia within the next few weeks.”

“Few weeks?” Ren said as he took the seat next to Hux’s at the head of the table. “Oh no, Professor. We’re leaving tomorrow morning at six o’clock.”

“ _What?_ ” Hux said, dismayed. “Certainly that’s impossible. I have to arrange for a replacement to give my lectures. I have notes to gather. There’s packing to be done. _No_. We cannot leave tomorrow.”

Ren leaned back in his chair, unaffected. “Well, the tickets for the plane and the boat are booked, so we don’t really have a choice. I took care of it all last week. Snoke didn’t tell you?”

Hux took a steadying sip of his tea, nearly scalding himself on it. “No, he did not. I assumed I would have time to prepare. This is all far too sudden.”

“You don’t do things on a whim, do you?” Ren chuckled. “Can’t drop everything and just get away.”

Hux tried the tea again, more slowly this time. “Why would I want to do that? Travel takes time.”

Ren shrugged one shoulder. “Not for me. I can go anytime. I would have left already if I didn’t have to wait for you.”

“Well, I appreciate your consideration,” Hux grumbled.

“Sure thing, Armitage,” said Ren.

Hux set his cup with with forced slowness; he didn’t need to break his china over this. “Please don’t call me that,” he said. “I prefer Hux.”

“Okay, but don’t call me mister anything. It’s Kylo.”

“Very well,” Hux said.

Kylo gave a brief grunt of assent before sipping at his whiskey again. “So, what exactly _are_ we going to Hosnia for? Snoke didn’t give me any details.”

Hux picked up the only item he had left on the table: his leather-bound pocket journal, in which he had made all his most crucial notes about the Temple of Souls. He opened it to the center page and slid it across to Kylo.

“The Image of Shunra,” Kylo read, his hand spread across the pages to hold them open. “A cat idol?”

“Not just any idol,” said Hux with reverence, “but the most sacred one in all of Hosnian history. It was precious to them.”

“And made of gold with diamonds for eyes and amber claws.” Kylo gave him a cocky smile. “That’s the kind of thing treasure-hunters look for, if you ask me.”

Hux felt heat in his face. “Yes, it is, but I’m not interested in its price on the open market. It belongs in a museum.”

Kylo smoothed his thumb over the drawing. “I agree with you there. So, we’re going to go to Hosnia and just pick this up?”

“Hardly,” said Hux. He explained, in brief, about the temple and its many dangers. He finished with, “Needless to say, it’s not going to be easy.”

“Well then, Professor,” Kylo said, draining the rest of his whiskey, “Snoke was right to get me for this job. If there’s anything I like, it’s a challenge.”

Hux picked up his tea again. “Indeed.”

They were silent for a moment, both sizing each other up with clear skepticism. Even as Kylo reached for the finger sandwiches, he kept his gaze trained on Hux, as if he were going to level some kind of attack at him. Hux scowled as Kylo took two of the sandwiches, stacked them together, and shoved them both into his mouth. He chewed loudly, though thankfully close-mouthed.

“These are good,” he said after he had swallowed. “That all you’ve got for dinner?”

Hux shoved the plate toward him. “Yes.”

Kylo didn’t look perturbed, but he set about eating the rest of the sandwiches. “Tell me about this Temple of Souls,” he said around another too-large bite. “What kind of traps are we going to be facing? Surprise stakes? Sandpits? Rabid dogs?”

“I don’t imagine there will be any dogs,” said Hux, “but there is always a risk of animal attack in the jungle.”

“You don’t have to tell me that,” Kylo said. Pulling up the sleeve of his jacket, he revealed four white scars across his forearm. “A puma took a swipe at me when I was nineteen. Barely missed the veins.”

Hux swallowed. “You’ve been doing this since you were nineteen?”

“Sixteen,” said Kylo, helping himself to a cup of tea at last. “It’s something of a family business.”

“‘Something of?’” Hux asked, genuinely curious.

Kylo’s hand stilled as he stirred sugar into his teacup. “Mmhm. Nobody really does what I do, but we never stayed in one place long. I learned to take care of myself.”

“Well, you look very capable,” Hux said.

“Is that a compliment, Professor,” Kylo said, “or an insult? Don’t think I don’t notice the way you look at me.”

Hux wet his lips, looking down. “I’m afraid I don’t know what you mean.”

Kylo huffed a laugh. “Like I’m going to stain your upholstery or put my feet up on your table.” He shifted to sit upright in his chair, making a show of sipping his tea daintily. “Is that better?”

“Are you calling me a snob?” Hux said, sharp.

“Are you denying that you are one?” Kylo asked in reply, looking quite self-assured.

Hux said nothing, reaching for a finger sandwich and taking a small bite out of the corner. He didn’t like Kylo’s laugh in the least.

“Anyway,” Kylo said, “about this temple. I need to be prepared before I walk into some old pile of bricks where I could die.”

Hux grabbed the journal again, flipping to the next few pages. He pointed to the first puzzle. “This is the Pilgrim’s Passage,” he said. “According to my research, it’s a maze of sorts that covers the first floor of the temple. However, if you take a wrong turn, there are consequences.”

Kylo put his finger at the edge of the page, leaning in. “What kind of consequences?”

“Surprise stakes, sandpits,” Hux mocked. “I don’t know. The accounts aren’t clear. All I know is that it won’t end well for us if we go down the wrong path.”

“Are there any kind of clues we can follow?”

Hux nodded. “It’s a narrative of the origin story of Shunra.”

Kylo scratched his chin. “That shouldn’t be too hard. I bet you know it back to front.”

“I do,” said Hux, “but there are fourteen variations, any of which could be the solution to the maze.”

“Oh,” Kylo said.

Hux stifled his laugh. “I have narrowed it down to approximately three different versions based on the time period in which the temple was built and by whom, but that still leaves a great number of possibilities.”

Kylo turned to the next page. “All right. I can deal with mazes. What’s next?”

The notes there described a floor of brittle bricks: one wrong step and they would crumble beneath you, dropping you into the deep cistern that was supposed to make up the second tier of the temple. How the ancient Hosnians had constructed and filled it was beyond Hux, but if it was true, it would be one of the world’s wonders.

“There’s a pattern to it,” Hux explained, touching the diagram he had drawn. “The names of the deities and their ranks in the pantheon. I am familiar with those as well, but they are not in order on the floor, or so it is said.”

“They really didn’t want to make this easy, did they?” Kylo said.

Hux lifted a brow. “Would _you_ want to make your religion’s most cherished relics reachable by just anyone?”

Kylo tipped his head to the side, conceding. “Fair point. Assuming we don’t get drowned in the cistern, what are we supposed to do next?”

“The Wall of Thorns,” said Hux. The next page in his journal showed a sheer wall dotted with large upward-facing hooks. “There are handholds, but one slip and...well…”

“You end up skewered,” Kylo said. “Right. So, what’s at the top? The Pillars of Anguish? Pool of Tears?”

Hux shot him a sidelong glare. “There is only one more trial to pass through before arriving at the chamber of the Image, but it might be the most difficult one.” He pointed to the next page. “There are twelve levers, six on each side of the room. They must be pulled in exactly the right order or the door won’t open.”

Kylo tapped the drawing with his forefingers. “What’s so hard about that?”

“Each represents a verse from the Chant of Shunra, which has been lost for eight hundred years.”

“Perfect,” Kylo groaned, rubbing a hand over his face. “Please tell me you know how to solve it anyway?”

Hux adjusted his glasses, looking the page over. “There are various verses scattered around the literature, but I know neither the order in which they are supposed to recited nor whether the translations I have are correct.”

Kylo pulled his lower lip between his teeth. “How in the hell were you planning to do this, exactly?”

“I wasn’t,” said Hux. “I never actually intended to go to the Temple of Souls. My work is theoretical.”

“You’re a _theoretical_ archaeologist?” Kylo asked, disbelieving.

It was the first time in a long while Hux had been made to feel chagrined by his preference for staying indoors. He clasped his clammy palms together in his lap.

“I’ve never been one for the outdoors,” he said. “I know it doesn’t make sense, but...oh, I don’t know. I just never thought to go there. Until now.”

Kylo’s brows came together as he studied Hux’s downturned face. “Didn’t you ever want to see it? Walk the places the Hosnians did?”

“I suppose,” said Hux, “but perhaps I was a little worried to. It doesn’t feel appropriate to invade the island after the disease brought by explorers destroyed the entire civilization.”

“And yet you’ll go now and take this Image of Shunra just so you don’t lose your research funding?”

Hux sighed. “I’m in a difficult position.” Finally looking up, he narrowed his eyes at Kylo. “And I don’t appreciate my reasons being questioned.”

Kylo raised his hands defensively. “Fine. I’m just here to get you to the damned temple and back alive. If you hold up your end of the bargain and get us through these puzzles, I’ll hold up mine. That good enough for you?”

“Yes,” Hux said. “That will do.”

The tea in his cup had long since gone cold, but he drank the last of it. Kylo took a swig of his as well, draining the cup.

“Well,” he said, setting his palms on his knees, “we have to be up early tomorrow, so I’d suggest we turn in.”

“You’re right,” said Hux as he got to his feet. “I’ll show you out.”

Kylo gave him a quizzical look. “I’m not leaving. I’m staying here. Snoke said you have an extra room.”

Hux frowned. There was indeed an extra bedroom in the house—two, in fact—but he had not been warned that Kylo was going to be an overnight guest, and had not had time to freshen the linens in the larger of the guest rooms. He was sure it would smell of dust and stale air. However, if Kylo wasn’t going to leave, he would have to suffer through it.

Sliding his chair back under the table, Hux backed toward the hallway. “Very well. I’ll just show you up.”

Kylo went into the entryway to retrieve his duffel, and with it slung over his shoulder, followed Hux.

The stairs to the second floor were narrow and shallow, leading to a small, square landing before the next flight took them up to the residences. The door to the guest bedroom was just ahead, and Hux went to open it. It was chilly inside and stagnant, but inoffensive. The bed had been neatly made by the housekeeper who came by once a week to tidy up, a red velvet comforter atop it and a pile of pillows stacked at the head. There was a dresser, along with a faded floral-print armchair.

“Will this suffice?” Hux asked.

Kylo stepped past him, wrapping his hand around the post at the end of the bed. “It’s a hell of a lot nicer than most of the places I stay in, so yeah, I’d say so.”

Hux couldn’t resist inquiring: “And what sort of places are those?”

“Hostels, tents, steamboat cabins,” said Kylo. “Usually something cramped and maybe a little damp. I don’t really expect comfort in my line of work.”

“You don’t have a home of your own when you return from your...sojourns?” Hux said.

“No,” Kylo replied, adjusting the duffel on his shoulder. It looked full but not particularly heavy. “I can stay with my parents or my uncle if I need to, but mostly I’m working. I just need a place to bed down. Everything else I carry with me.”

Hux couldn’t fathom that sort of life. He needed a place to return to when he wanted to be alone, and he was very fond of his feather down mattress and clean sheets, the precise opposite of what you might find in a grubby hostel. And he had had his fill of tents and bedrolls during his graduate fieldwork. He tried not to wince as he realized he would likely be spending his nights on Hosnia sleeping in just such things.

“Well,” he said, “there’s a lavatory just through the door to the right there.” He pointed. “There’s a bathtub if you need it.”

It seemed that Kylo was clean enough, but Hux hadn’t come close enough to smell him. A part of him wanted to avoid that at all costs, but there was another piece that was intrigued. Kylo may have been roughly dressed and shaggy-haired, but there was an unusual allure to him.

Hux stopped himself before going down that path. An attraction was not a complication he needed when he had so many other things to contend with, from temples to packing to the inconveniences of travel. Clearing his throat, he took hold of the doorknob again.

“I will leave you here,” he said. “If you need anything, my bedroom is at the end of the hall.” He paused, contemplating. “I usually rise at five o’clock in the morning. Is that acceptable for our timetable?”

“Yeah, that’ll do,” said Kylo. “We need to catch our first plane at seven, but we’ll have to leave here at six to get to the airport.” He gave Hux a curious look. “Don’t suppose you have a car, do you?”

Hux shook his head. He had never learned to drive, not when he could walk everywhere on campus.

“Then I’ll have to hire one in the morning,” Kylo said. “I’ll go out after breakfast and take care of it. I figure you’ll need that time to pack anyway.” He dropped his duffel at the foot of the bed as if to illustrate just how prepared he already was.

“You didn’t come here by car?” Hux asked, ignoring the display.

“Nope,” Kylo replied as he shucked his jacket and tossed it onto the bed. “I brought my motorcycle.” He flashed a toothy grin. “But it can’t carry two with our luggage.”

Hux found motorcycles unnecessarily loud and offensive. He rode a bicycle, but putting an engine between his legs had never been appealing. He could only imagine how easily one could lose control and go skidding across the hard asphalt of the road. He had no desire to skin his arms and legs down to the bone.

“Very well,” he said. “I’ll leave the car to you, then.”

Under his jacket, Kylo was wearing a slightly wrinkled tan shirt, open at the collar. He had a pair of brown suspenders over his shoulders, which he shrugged off as he said, “You don’t get carsick, do you?”

“Why would you think I would?” Hux said, eyebrow cocked.

“No reason,” said Kylo, pulling his shirt from the waistband of his pants. Hux watched in shock as he pulled it over his head and cast it aside, leaving him barechested.

Hux was caught between modestly shielding his eyes and staring openly. He settled for something in between, lowering his gaze for a moment before looking back up again, taking in Kylo’s broad shoulders and hairless chest in brief glances. Kylo stood still for a spell, letting Hux appraise him, before sitting down at the edge of the bed and starting to remove his boots.

“There must be a reason,” Hux said. He wasn’t certain why he was compelled to keep up conversation while Kylo immodestly stripped out of his clothes. Well, perhaps he did know: it had been far too long since he had seen a man half-naked, especially one who looked like Kylo.

“I just drive like I have somewhere to go,” Kylo said, pulling off one boot and dropping it to the carpeted floor with a _thump_.

Hux scoffed. “You mean you drive like a maniac. Perfect.”

Laughing, Kylo said, “I’m not going to get us killed, Professor, I promise. You’re safe with me.”

An odd little shiver went through Hux. He had no real reason to trust Kylo Ren with his welfare, save for Snoke’s recommendation, but the way Kylo said that—offhanded, but with sincerity—made Hux want to believe him. Damn it all; he was charming, which Hux did not approve of in the slightest.

He set his face sternly and said, “I do hope that’s true.” He took a step back toward the hallway. “If that’s all for now, I’ll bid you goodnight.”

Discarding his second boot, Kylo got to his feet. It once again drew Hux’s attention to just how large he was. Hux rarely felt small, and wasn’t particularly keen on seeming so to Kylo. Standing to his full height, he stared Kylo down.

“Okay then, Professor,” Kylo said, stepping one foot back and shifting his no-doubt-substantial weight onto it. “You sleep well, now. See you first thing in the morning.” Reaching down for the fly of his trousers, he started to undo the button.

Hux whirled on his toe and strode out of the room, closing the door firmly behind him. He paused in the middle of the hallway to take a breath. This excursion was already a trial.

 

* * *

 

The clock on Hux’s bedside table read 5:05 when he woke up the next morning. He pushed back the sheets and comforter, rolling to the edge of the bed for a good stretch. He had a great deal of reading to do today, and lesson planning for next week’s lectures. His usual leisurely breakfast awaited him, followed by a brisk shower and dressing for the day. He would walk to Tarkin Hall in the morning sunshine, ready to work the day away.

Smiling to himself, he got up and pulled on his dressing gown, sliding his feet into his house slippers. He stopped in the lavatory to relieve himself before shuffling down the stairs to make a pot of coffee and some eggs and sausages and sitting down with the newspaper. It would be a usual day, a good day, he thought to himself as he went into the kitchen.

“Morning, Professor.”

Hux nearly jumped out of his skin. Clutching at his breast, he recovered fast enough to spot Kylo Ren leaning against the kitchen counter between the sink and the icebox, chewing an overdone piece of toast slathered in what looked to be half a jar of blackcurrant marmalade. There was a cup of steaming black coffee on the counter next to his hip.

The reality of the day crashed down on Hux. He wasn’t going to be spending the afternoon in his office with his papers and his outlines, but instead on an airplane to Brazil with the treasure-hunting guide Dean Snoke had forced upon him. A man who apparently rose even earlier than Hux. He was already dressed and shaved, his hair in a tail at the back of his head, revealing laughably large ears. He wasn’t wearing his boots, though, instead standing barefoot on the cool tile floor of the kitchen.

“Good morning,” Hux said. Cautiously, he approached the coffee pot, hoping there was more to be had. Before he could get there, Kylo preempted him and, picking it up, poured him a mug. He held it out handle-first to Hux. “Thank you,” said Hux as he took it and inhaled the scent. It was a strong brew; just the way he liked it. To Kylo: “I trust you slept well.”

“Yep,” Kylo said around a bite of toast. A bit of marmalade stuck to the side of his mouth, and he licked it away. “I could get used to that bed.”

Hux scowled. The last thing he wanted was a boarder. “I’m glad,” he said. “I wouldn’t have wanted you to be uncomfortable.”

Kylo chuckled. “That’s pretty much impossible, Professor. I’ve slept anywhere and everywhere.”

“No doubt,” Hux grumbled as he took a sip of coffee. “I’m going to make some proper breakfast. How do you take your eggs?”

“What do you like?” Kylo asked, head cocked to the side.

Hux retrieved a shallow saucepan from the cabinet and began to fill it with water from the tap. “Poached medium.”

Kylo picked up his mug and took a too-large gulp of coffee. “Sounds good to me.”

Hux lit the burner on the stove and set the pot over it to boil. He retrieved four eggs from the icebox and set them by the stove. Pulling out a frying pan, he set about cooking up some links of sausage.

Kylo watched him work for a minute or two before picking up a sheet of paper from the counter next to him. “So,” he said. “I had a look over your maps this morning, and I’ve got a good idea about the route we’ll need to take to get to this temple.” He held up the paper for Hux to see. It was a remarkably well-drawn rendering of the map of Hosnia Hux had annotated over the past ten years. The lines were clean and the landmarks clearly labeled in admittedly elegant cursive handwriting.

“You drew this this morning?” Hux asked.

Kylo nodded, eyeing it. “I don’t sleep much, so I had a look at all your notes. You’re thorough, I’ll give you that. And I figured I should make a copy of the map so we won’t damage your originals.” He winked, honest-to-God _winked_.

Hux glanced between him and the paper. It was a good idea. The maps he had were too large and too fragile to carry on an expedition. Hux grudgingly acknowledged that Kylo had had a good idea.

Lifting up the map, Kylo pointed to a stretch of beach on the east side of the island. “We’ll land here if we can, then head northwest, cutting across the river sooner rather than later.”

The Hosnian River was depicted as a narrow, snaking pair of lines across the island, little waves drawn into it to denote that it was a body of water. If Kylo ever decided to give up his current...profession, he might have made a very competent cartographer.

“All right,” said Hux as he cracked the first two eggs into the water to cook. “We’ll have to follow it for a time, but then cut north again.”

“Right,” Kylo said. “But the closer we stay to fresh water, the better. There’s only so much a canteen will hold, and who knows how long we’re going to be caught up in that temple maze.”

Hux wouldn’t have considered that. “That’s sensible.” He turned the sausages with a fork. The kitchen was filling with the scent of maple and grease.

“Mmhm,” said Kylo. “And moving along the water means we won’t have to cut through thick jungle. If no one’s lived on this island for centuries, nobody’s been mowing the lawn.”

“Ah, yes,” Hux said. He was already dreading cutting through vines and foliage. It would likely slow them down even more, extending the journey. It hadn’t even begun and he already wanted to be done with it.

Kylo leaned back against the counter, arms crossed over his chest. “It’s not going to be as bad as you think, Professor. Let me get us through the jungle, you get us through the temple, and we’ll be home before you know it, idol in hand.”

Hux was not particularly reassured, but he said, “Indeed,” as he removed the poached eggs from the water and set them on a plate. He finished the last two quickly and, serving up three links of sausage for each of them, pushed a plate into Kylo’s hands. He led the way to the dining room table, sitting at the foot, away from his papers. Kylo sat to his left.

“So,” Hux said as he sliced through the egg to spill yolk over his plate, “what is our itinerary? You’ve told me very little about these arrangements you’ve made.”

Kylo stabbed a piece of egg on top of a piece of sausage, popping both into his mouth. He said, “We fly first down to Mexico City, then get on to Bogota. By tomorrow night we’ll be in Tatooine City.”

Hux chewed slowly. He had taken a ship across the Atlantic from England when he had come to America, and had never been in an airplane before. He wasn’t quite sure what to expect; he had heard it made some people dreadfully ill.

“And after that?” he asked, pressing on.

“We’ll ride two days west to Tosche, where we’ll catch the boat to Hosnia,” said Kylo. “Not too bad a trip, really.”

Hux’s brows shot up. “What, exactly, is your definition of a ‘bad trip?’”

“Well, there was one time I had to ride a camel for eight days across the desert, and then meet a caravan for ten more to get across the mountains.” He bit a link of sausage in half. “I had sand in places I couldn’t wash it out and the worst sunburn of my life. Not to mention no baths or razors. You should have seen my face.” He rubbed his chin. “I can’t grow a beard that isn’t patchy, so I looked like a beggar by the time I got into town. A shave never felt so good.”

Hux himself could grow quite an impressive beard if he chose to, but it was just as red as the hair on his head, and he had no interest in sticking out any more than he already did among the black, brown, and blond heads of this part of the world. However, he wouldn’t likely have much of a chance to shave in the jungle, so he was afraid he would have to deal with the itching and sharp stubble across his cheeks and chin.

“That does sound very arduous,” he said to Kylo. “I hope you recovered quickly.”

Kylo shrugged. “I had about two days to get back on my feet before I had to be on my way home. I had some artifacts to get back to my buyers.”

Hux pursed his lips distastefully at the mention of selling treasures from the past, but he held his tongue to keep the peace between them.

“Anyway,” Kylo said, waving his fork dismissively, “it made for a good story.”

They finished their breakfast hastily after that. As Hux stood to collect the dishes, Kylo snatched them out from under him.

“I’ll take care of it,” he said, stacking the plates. “Then I’ll go get the car. You get packed.”

Hux agreed readily—he hated washing up—and made for the stairs. He cleaned up in the lavatory and dressed before going to the attic to find his luggage. He had a pair of trunks and two suitcases. He chose one of the latter, small though it may have been. Opening it on the bed, he began to pack some of his clothing. At the back of his wardrobe was something he had hoped he would never have to wear again: two sets of trousers in plain brown and a jacket of the same color and material. He had bought them for his digs as a graduate. Tucked away with them were the knee-high, hard leather boots he had purchased to match. They would have to serve for this trip.

He packed them away along with several other waistcoats and shirts, even some plain trousers he could bear to part with. He was afraid most of these things would not be coming back in good condition.

By the time he was finished, the suitcase was full to bursting. He had to throw his weight into it to get it to latch closed, though he sighed with satisfaction when it finally did. He groaned as he picked it up, feeling the weight of it. It was a far cry from Kylo’s duffel.

The journey down the stairs was difficult, but he managed to get the suitcase to the entryway. He left it there for the time being, returning to the dining room to pack up the last of the notes he would need for the journey. His little notebook of Temple puzzles and sketches went into his breast pocket, just over his heart. He was leaving a note for the housekeeper about his absence, his spectacles perched on his nose, when the front door swung open and Kylo strode through. He didn’t bother to remove his hat or jacket, making his way over to Hux in a few long strides.

“You all packed up, Professor?” Kylo asked.

Hux gestured vaguely toward the suitcase. Kylo turned and went to pick it up. He grunted as he tested the weight.

“What have you got in here?” he said. “Half your library?”

Hux sniffed. “Hardly.”

Kylo, setting the case down again, glared at him. “You’re not going to be able to take half of that to Hosnia. You don’t have a rucksack?”

“I haven’t carried one since I was a child at school,” said Hux. It had been canvas, and had stretched under the weight of all the books he checked out from the library.

“We’ll have to buy you one, then,” Kylo grumbled. “They’ll have something in Tatooine City probably.” He lifted his hat from his head to scratch behind his ear. When it was back in place atop his head, he clapped his hands together. “Well, we’d better get going. It’s after six already, and we’ve got a plane to catch at seven.”

Hux took his spectacles off and tucked them into the pocket opposite his journal. Buttoning his jacket, he stepped toward the door. Kylo didn’t immediately move, still facing Hux. His gaze moved from Hux’s face down the length of him, taking in his tailored suit and Oxfords. It was an appraisal, to be sure, and one that was perhaps disapproving, as the clothes were not appropriate for jungle adventuring. And yet when he met Hux’s eyes again, there was something appreciative in them. Hux, surprised and a sight flattered, averted his.

Kylo cleared his throat. “I’ll just get your bag, then,” he said, and then he was out the door with Hux’s suitcase—which he lifted without any theatrical trouble at all—in hand.

Hux followed more sedately, taking a last few glances around the wood-panelled entryway. He crossed the threshold onto the stoop and pulled the door shut behind him. The deadbolt lock slid into place with finality as he turned the key, making all of this truly concrete. He was leaving behind all the comforts he had enjoyed for many years, and if things went wrong on this trip and he and Kylo could not get through the temple, it was possible he would not be returning at all. The keys in his hand jingled as a shudder passed through him.

The loud roar of an engine turning over startled him back to himself, and he came around to see a burgundy car idling just in front of the house. Kylo was already behind the wheel.

“Come on,” he called, tipping his head as a summons.

Hux went heavy-footed down the steps and onto the sidewalk. Kylo leaned over and pushed the door open for him. He slid into the passenger seat and closed it, chewing his cheek. He barely had time for another look at the house before the car rolled away and onto the road toward the airport.

Hux wasn’t accustomed to riding in cars, so he was quite displeased to be buffeted with wind in the uncovered vehicle as they drove at an alarming speed out of town. Kylo seemed capable enough, but Hux would have preferred to take the curves a bit slower. More than once he found himself latching onto the door to keep from being thrown this way and that. The tumult didn’t lend itself to conversation, either, so they stayed silent as they rode.

The airport was about fifteen miles away from the university, built on what had once been a large plot of farmland. It only had one runway and a small hangar, but there wasn’t a great demand for air travel out of this part of the country. It was actually a bit of a shock that they had managed to catch a plane going as far as Mexico. Hux suspected Kylo had something to do with it, but he was sure a treasure-hunter, or whatever he called himself, didn’t have the means to charter a private flight. Snoke maybe? Ah well, it made no difference, as long as they got to their destination.

Kylo pulled the car up beside the open-mouthed hangar, shutting the engine off. He sprang over the side without opening the door in rather a feat of dexterity. He went immediately to the boot and retrieved their luggage, swinging his duffel over his shoulder and carrying Hux’s suitcase in his left hand.

“Are we just to leave the car here, then?” Hux asked.

“Yeah,” Kylo replied. “They’ll get it settled.” Coming around the back of the car, he pointed Hux’s suitcase at the aircraft parked fifty or so feet away. The staircase was lowered, and a young woman in a tidy skirt and jacket stood at the foot. She smiled as Hux and Kylo approached.

“Good morning,” she said. “Tickets?”

Kylo reached a little awkwardly into his jacket and produced two wrinkled pieces of paper. The woman took them, looked them over, and nodded.

“You may leave your baggage here,” she continued. “The steward will get it and you can retrieve it in Mexico City.”

Kylo dropped the bags without ceremony, tugged the brim of his hat at the stewardess, and started up the stairs. Hux trotted up behind him, gripping the handrail tightly.

There were no more than thirty seats onboard the plane, and most were unoccupied. Kylo led the way to seats one and two, right near the cockpit.

“You want to look out the window?” he asked, laying an arm over the headrest of the seat on the aisle.

Hux considered it, but, remembering that he wasn’t even fond of looking out the window of his second-floor office, declined.

“Suit yourself,” Kylo said. Shucking his jacket, he tossed it in the empty seat behind him and took his own seat.

Hux settled into his, lowering the armrest between it and Kylo’s. The chair was comfortable enough, but his nerves were running high, and he couldn’t seem to calm down.

“Relax, Professor,” said Kylo, pulling off his hat and setting it on his knee. “There’s no safer way to travel than flying. There’s nobody else in the air for you to run into, like cars on the road. Well, maybe a few other planes, but not enough. Unless the engines fail, we’ll be fine.”

Hux looked at him, wide-eyed, and Kylo laughed. He set his hand overtop of Hux’s on the armrest. “I’m just kidding. Everything is okay, I promise.” At the last bit, he squeezed Hux’s hand.

Hux felt a tingle snake up his arm, but disregarded it. Tugging his hand free, he said, “I don’t need to be coddled.”

Kylo shrugged and said again, “Suit yourself.”

He fell silent, turning to look out the window. Hux watched the door. A few other passengers boarded in the next few minutes, but certainly not enough to fill the plane. He counted only fourteen people by the time the stewardess reappeared, latching the door behind her.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” she said, “we’re preparing to take off. Please take your seats.”

The whole plane vibrated as the engines started up, and Hux found himself grasping at the armrests again, his knuckles white. He watched the stewardess take her seat and nonchalantly open a magazine. A glance at Kylo revealed that his eyes were closed and he was breathing steadily, already asleep. Hux swallowed heavily as the plane began to move forward.

The rumbling increased as their speed did, making Hux’s heart pound. Around Kylo he could see the ground racing by. He could hardly breathe as he watched the nose of the plane begin to rise. And then it was suddenly smooth, the trembling gone. Hux let out a desperately relieved breath.

“You did good, Professor.” Kylo, eyes open, regarded him steadily, the hint of a smile curling at the edges of his mouth.

Hux managed a feeble, “Thank you.”

Kylo inclined his head, and then leaned back and closed his eyes again.

Over the next hour, Hux waited for the plane to jostle or the engines to stutter to a stop, but nothing happened. The stewardess brought him a glass of water, which he drank as he tentatively looked out the window. Perhaps flying wasn’t so terrible. And if this was all right, maybe there was hope for the rest of the journey. At least Hux could hope.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The fantastic [Katie Arts](http://katiesghosts.tumblr.com/) drew [Kylo in his adventurer's hat and Hux in his prim suit](http://gefionne.tumblr.com/post/170002032395/katiesghosts-my-life-in-ruins-coming-soon-to) on their journey together to Hosnia.


	2. Chapter 2

Hux didn’t see anything of Mexico City during their stop there. He got only a brief respite from flying to stretch his legs as he and Kylo went to catch their next plane. There was a steward to carry their baggage; he trailed along behind them without a complaint, though it was clear he was laboring under the weight of Hux’s suitcase. He seemed relieved when he dropped it and Kylo’s duffel beside the open cargo door of the aircraft. This plane was smaller than the first, perhaps seating only ten. Hux and Kylo went aboard, taking their seats near the front once again.

Seemingly having gotten enough sleep on the previous flight, Kylo sat up straight in his seat, flagging down the stewardess to request a glass of whiskey. The woman, coiffed and made-up, paused to ask if Hux wanted anything. After the first flight, he felt as though he could trust his stomach, so he ordered a gin and tonic. The stewardess returned promptly with the drinks, handing them carefully to both Kylo and Hux. The gin was piney and refreshing, the tonic water and ice chilly over Hux’s tongue. Finding he was thirstier than he had thought, he drank it down before the rest of the passengers had boarded.

“Liquid fortification for the next leg, Professor?” Kylo asked. He stirred his own whiskey around in his glass, the amber liquor catching the sunlight from outside.

Hux bit down on an ice cube, swallowing it. “I hardly think I need it,” he replied. “I did perfectly well on the last flight. In fact, it was quite pleasant.” He wouldn’t exactly have called it that, but he hoped the lie was convincing enough to get Kylo to mind his own business.

“Whatever you say, Professor,” Kylo laughed.

“Must you call me that?” said Hux, stern. “Not even my students do. To them I’m Doctor Hux, and nothing less.”

Kylo worked his jaw, appearing to chew the notion over quite literally. “You’re a PhD, not a doctor.”

“ _Philosophiae Doctor_ ,” Hux snapped.

“Still not the same thing,” Kylo said with a shrug. “I wouldn’t let people call me ‘doctor’ anything unless I could do surgery. It’s pompous.”

Hux bristled. He had spent five years at university working to earn his doctorate, and he did not take that work or the work of any of his other doctoral colleagues for granted. To be accused of being pompous by the likes of Kylo Ren was an affront.

“And how much schooling do you have, pray tell?” Hux said.

Kylo shot him a sidelong look. “Enough.”

“Little, then,” Hux scoffed. “At least you can read a map.”

“I may not be able to translate ancient Hosnian,” said Kylo, remarkably unperturbed, “but I’m not an idiot.”

 _We’ll see about that,_ Hux thought as he downed the last of his drink. To Kylo, he said nothing else.

The stewardess returned to take their glasses just before takeoff. Hux braced himself again, though he fared far better as they ascended this time. Once they were airborne, he chanced taking out his journal to read over. Sliding on his spectacles, he opened to the page on Shunra’s origin myths. As he had told Kylo the day before, there were fourteen different variations, but he had managed to narrow down the options for the solution to the Temple of Souls maze to three. He had a favorite of those, though: the least fanciful telling, which had been popular at the time the temple was built, during Hosnia’s golden age.

It began at the start of time, when the Earth was untamed and full of vermin. Rats were the most commonly discussed pests, said to have been larger and more vicious in those early days than their modern-day descendants were. There were legends of packs hunting men like wolves and chewing their bodies down to bones in minutes.

The few men that shared the young Earth with them were little more than straggling groups, subsisting on what berries and roots they could gather. Hunting the rats was, apparently, too dangerous a task. Hux had actually written a very well-received paper discussing the emphasis on a vegetarian diet among all Hosnians, which came as something of a shock to non-native explorers. He himself had experimented with vegetarianism during his research, but had been relieved to have meat again when the paper was accepted in the _Journal of the South American Historical Society_.

The mythical tyranny of the rats was perpetrated by the strongest among them: a king (of sorts) called Sobolan. It was said that he was the most merciless and greedy of his kind, having slain and consumed the most men. The few humans lived in fear of him and his minions, and could not flourish under his rule.

Many hundreds of years passed in this way, but gradually the men sought to put an end to Sobolan; and they knew they could not it do alone. So they went deep into the jungle, to the center of all creation: the Eye of the World. There, they prayed for a savior to rid them of the scourge of the rats. For ten long days they invoked the energies of the Earth, until they had no more food or water. Weak and with hopes dwindling, they made a last plea as the sun rose on the eleventh day. The rays shone down onto the Eye of the World, and from it sprang a large creature—perhaps just a little bigger than modern jungle cats—with a coat of golden fur and eyes as green as the summer sea. Its long tail thrashed as it flexed its deadly claws, weapons made for cleaving through rats.

In some variations of the tale, it was said that the creature spoke to the men, telling them its name and its purpose: to protect them from their enemies and retake the world for them. In others, it simply looked at them and gave a growling purr of greeting. The men fell to their knees in thanks, welcoming the creature, which they called Shunra, after the Hosnian words for sun and death.

Shunra led them away into the jungle, where they encountered a pack of prowling rats. The men were ready to shrink back and run, but Shunra charged into battle without fear. She destroyed the pack, bloody in her triumph. She feasted upon the rats in the aftermath, as the men watched with a mixture of horror and fascination. When she had gorged herself, she licked her paws clean and continued her hunt.

In the next months, she cut across the land, leaving the ruined bodies of rats in her wake. The men, inspired, began to craft weapons—claws of their own—to aid her. Together, they put an end to hundreds, even thousands of vermin, until they were safe in their villages. They sometimes partook in Shunra’s feasts of rat meat, but rarely. They didn’t want to consume what was rightfully hers.

In time, the slaughter of the rats incurred the wrath of Sobolan, who decided that Shunra and her followers had to be stopped lest r his kingdom fall to them. Gathering his vermin warriors to him, he assembled an army to fight them. Shunra and the men of the world rose up to challenge them on a great field of battle.

They fought for five days, Shunra and Sobolan scratching and biting at each other until they were both marked. But they did not stop, not while their opponent still lived. The men managed to drive the rats back until their numbers were few, and they sought to surrender. But it wasn’t until Sobolan finally fell to a mighty bite from Shunra that they truly gave up. Victorious, the men burned the rat king on a pyre as they celebrated.

Taking the land that he had once occupied, the men built a great temple to honor their savior, where she could live in comfort. For one hundred years she watched over them as their civilization grew. She still fought when she was needed, but the men had long since learned to manage the remaining rats. Defeated, the vermin began to grow smaller and weaker, until they were barely the size of a man’s hand.

When, at last, this transformation had taken place, Shunra returned to the Eye of the World. The men begged her to stay with them, but she retreated. She did not leave them without help, however. In her wake came a hundred smaller creatures in her image, called cats. They would help protect the world from the vermin for the rest of time. There were some variations of the tale that said she stayed on the Earth in a different form, perhaps even one of a woman, so that she could join her worshippers. Another said that she became one of her small cats and still appeared from time to time, when she was needed.

The entire myth was allegorical, of course, but Hux found it captivating. His dissertation had examined the worship of the feline form and the development of the cult of Shunra. He hadn’t yet discovered the details of the Temple of Souls, her seat of power, but he planned to incorporate that into the book he would write after this (unexpected) trip to see it in person. Despite the fact that he hated fieldwork, there was a part of him that was beginning to grow excited at the prospect of exploring the places the Hosnians—and by extension Shunra—had once walked.

“Reading up, huh?” Kylo said, calling Hux’s attention to him. Hux hadn’t realized he had been looking over his shoulder at the notebook. _Nosy._

“I should be prepared, yes,” said Hux. “I have to hold up my end of our bargain, after all.”

Kylo nodded, almost solemn. “What got you into Hosnia? It’s not really an easy place to find. A tiny island in the middle of nowhere.”

Hux remembered the moment vividly; it had changed his life. “It was in a museum,” he said. “I was an undergraduate then, and just exploring the storage rooms where they kept the artifacts not currently on display. We had been permitted a tour by the curator, which was unprecedented.”

She had pulled out numerous bones and pieces of pottery, textiles and ancient weapons. Hux had been unable to look away from any of it.

“It was about halfway through the tour,” he continued, “when she produced the first image of Shunra. Most of the others thought it looked just like another other cat sculpture, but there was something about it that captured me. It was simple, but so detailed. I could see the waves of her fur, the claws on her feet, her intense gaze. I raised my hand immediately and asked about it.

“The curator explained about Hosnia, and I knew I wanted to know more. I went to the library that very evening and began reading about its history and people.” He smiled, fond of those memories. “I befriended the curator of the museum, Rae, and she showed me everything from Hosnia they had in their collection. From then on, I knew it was the topic on which I would make my career.”

Kylo scratched his chin. “That’s a pretty impressive story. Not everyone finds their life’s work at nineteen.”

“I was eighteen, actually,” said Hux.

“Eighteen, then. I wish I had known what I would be doing when I was that young.” He hesitated, but added, “My dad would have appreciated that.”

Hux thought he could hear something of regret, even embarrassment, in his tone. “You didn’t always want to hunt for treasure at the edges of the world?” he said, sardonic. “Though it borders on despicable, it is a bit romantic; the kind of thing a child dreams of.”

Kylo shook his head. “I had no idea what I wanted to do. I happened to take a job one summer when I needed to get away from home and found out I was good at this kind of thing. I just stuck with it because it was easy.” He grinned. “And it’s never boring. I hate being bored.”

“Well,” Hux said, “it seems you found your life’s work early as well. How old were you when you took that first job?”

“Fifteen,” said Kylo. “So, yeah, I guess you’re right. I only did it on the side for a while, though. At least until I was done with school.”

High school, Hux imagined. He didn’t press the issue of education again, however, instead asking, “Where did you grow up?”

“New Hampshire,” Kylo replied. “Near Concord.”

Hux tried not to frown. Concord was the home city of Coruscant University, the rival institution of his own Arkanis University. There was a team of archaeologists and historians there, under the direction of Doctor Poe Dameron, who had recently taken an interest in Hosnia and had begun refuting some of Hux’s arguments in his papers. His protégé, Doctor Rey Skywalker, was a revisionist and swiftly becoming a problem for Hux. Not that he was opposed to a little scholarly disagreement—it enhanced the dialogue about the topic in general—but he admittedly disliked no longer being the only researcher in his field.

“Did you like it in Concord?” he said to Kylo.

“Not really,” Kylo replied.

When he didn’t elaborate, Hux said, “I see. I suppose you’re glad to be elsewhere, then?”

“Mmhm. I like Brazil, and most of South America. Everything feels alive, people and environment.” He shot a glance a Hux. “Not stodgy, like an old college campus.”

Hux sniffed, raising his chin. He quite liked the culture at a university.

“Anyway,” said Kylo, “when did you come to the States?”

“When I entered university,” Hux said. “My father wanted me to go abroad for school to experience another country. It was either America or Germany. My German is, unfortunately, atrocious.”

Kylo chuckled. “Mine, too. I’m better with Portuguese and Spanish. I can manage a little Arabic, but it’s broken at best.”

“Really?” Hux said, almost to himself. He hadn’t expected that, but maybe he shouldn’t have been surprised; Kylo did, after all, travel the world.

“So you picked the States,” said Kylo, urging him on. “Where’d you do your undergraduate work?”

“At Yale,” Hux replied. “They have an excellent history department.”

“You didn’t start out in an archaeology program?”

“No. The course of study wasn’t offered. Also, it helps to have a solid foundation in the practice of history and historical writing before going on to pursue archaeology.”

“Fair enough,” Kylo said. He shifted slightly in his seat, extending his long legs and crossing them at the ankle. “They’re related anyway.”

“Indeed,” said Hux.

They were quiet for a time, neither looking at the other nor really focusing on anything else. Hux chanced a look out the window and saw that the sun was on its way down. It would be set by the time they arrived in Bogota, and they still had one more flight to catch after that. It would one or two o’clock in the morning when they arrived in Tatooine City. Hux hoped there was a soft bed waiting for him in a hotel there, and that he could sleep in the next morning. Surely Kylo would want to do the same.

“How long have you had that journal?” Kylo asked, finally breaking the silence. He was looking down at the book, which was still lying open in Hux’s lap.

“Ten years, maybe,” Hux replied. It was precious to him; it contained his most important notes about Temple of Souls and Idol of Shunra. He carried it on his person at all times, and felt strangely naked without its weight in his pocket.

“I used to keep a journal,” said Kylo, musing, “when I first started taking jobs. I kept track of everything: sketches, maps, notes. I wanted to be able to remember everything. But after I filled the first notebook, I realized I’d have a whole collection and nowhere to put them. So I stopped.”

“That’s a shame,” Hux said. “It would have been quite a remarkable record for someone to study in the future. Travel journals are relished by historians. You could have had them archived.”

Kylo shrugged. “What archive would have taken them? I’m not anyone important.”

He had a point, but there was something to be said for a history of those who were not great figures; a people’s history. And Hux was certain he would have found Kylo’s journals quite intriguing.

“I suppose,” Hux said, “but a family member might want to read them, maybe? A son or grandson?”

“I don’t want kids,” Kylo said gruffly.

Hux, taken aback, raised his brows. “No? Why not?” It was a personal question, but it was already out of his mouth, and he couldn’t take it back.

Kylo chewed his lower lip, clearly anxious. “Family is complicated.”

“I won’t dispute that,” said Hux. His upbringing had been strict and cold. His parents expected nothing but the best from him and showed their affection through congratulations on performing well in school, rather than with embraces. He had been glad to leave them when he went to university and had not been home to England since he left. They exchanged letters at the holidays, but little else.

“Yeah,” Kylo grumbled. “So I’d just rather stay out of it altogether.”

Repeating what Kylo had said before, Hux conceded, “Fair enough.”

He returned to his notes then, leaving Kylo to his own thoughts. The stewardess came by with more drinks for them, and Hux had two in rather quick succession. His handwriting swam somewhat after the second, so he closed his eyes for a nap.

The stop in Bogota was just as brief as that in Mexico had been, affording them only a few minutes to get to their next plane. They made a brief stop in the lavatory to relieve themselves and splash some water on their faces. Kylo dunked nearly his entire head, finger-combing his damp hair away from his brow. Hux watched him surreptitiously in the mirror, playing at straightening his own hair.

There was a dark shadow of a beard on Kylo’s cheeks, something that looked remarkably well on him. Hux had purple circles under his eyes, but Kylo’s were bright as ever. They were brown and almond-shaped, set under dark brows.

Hux was still focused on him when he turned, inquisitive. Hux averted his eyes hurriedly, straightening his tie and slipping his suit jacket back over his shoulders.

“Shall we go, then?” he asked, casualness forced.

Kylo said nothing, simply heading to the door and holding it open for Hux to pass through.

The final leg of the trip crept by at a glacial pace. Hux had exhausted the contents of his journal and was feeling restless from so many hours sitting. He was accustomed to spending a great deal of time in his office with his books, but he had a habit of taking a daily afternoon walk for exercise. He could feel the tension in his joints as he sat in his place next to Kylo, and fidgeted around in it, unable to get comfortable.

“Go up and down the aisle a few times,” Kylo said after Hux had shifted up onto his hip and then back onto the flat of his buttocks in an attempt to find a tolerable position. “No one’s going to mind.”

Hux glanced up the short aisle to the back of the plane. He wasn’t sure he trusted his footing—this flight had been bumpier than the previous two—and hesitated.

“Or I could rub your shoulders for you,” said Kylo, startlingly close to Hux’s ear. A heavy hand landed on his right shoulder.

Slapping it away, Hux growled, “Unhand me.”

Kylo did, moving as far back from Hux as his seat would allow. “Sorry.” He sounded genuinely contrite. “I didn’t mean to upset you.”

Hux sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. He shouldn’t have snapped; it was only that it had been quite some time since anyone had touched him, beyond a cursory handshake. He hadn’t been prepared for how his heart had jumped into his throat at the contact.

“I’m just tired,” he said, a poor excuse, but all he was willing to offer just then.

“Yeah, I know,” said Kylo. “It’s been a long day. We’ll be there soon.”

Hux rubbed his hands down along his thighs, trying to release the tightness in the muscles. “Where is ‘there?’ Tatooine City, I know, but are our accommodations far from the airport?” He dreaded another car ride with Kylo behind the wheel.

“We have to take a rickshaw there,” Kylo replied, “but it shouldn’t take more than twenty minutes.”

“Ah, good,” said Hux, relieved.

Kylo put his hands, fingers interlaced, behind his neck and pulled down to stretch. “Hopefully they’ll have a couple of rooms for us at the Takodana. I’ve had to share before.”

“ _What?_ ” Hux sputtered. “Certainly not. That would be most unseemly.” Never once in his life had he shared a bedroom with anyone. He was an only child and came from enough money that he had had a room in a boarding house rather than in a dormitory as a student.

“‘Unseemly?’” Kylo echoed, clearly amused. “What’s wrong with two men bunking together? It’s not like we need a chaperone.”

Hux swallowed. Under most circumstances there was nothing wrong with that, but when one of them was _afflicted_ , as he was, he actually would have preferred a chaperone. Disreputable as Kylo might be, he was a striking man, and Hux did not trust himself not to do something inappropriate in his sleep. He had heard more than one story of platonic bedmates waking up in each other’s arms in a most awkward way. He didn’t need Kylo assuming things about him that could put his reputation at risk.

“No, no,” said Hux, falsely dismissive, “of course not. It’s just...undignified.”

Kylo laughed. “You’re an odd one, aren’t you, Professor?”

Hux looked down at his lap, plucking at a piece of lint on his trousers. “I just like things a certain way.”

“Well,” Kylo said on a heavy exhale, “I don’t know if you’re going to like this trip, then.”

“I thought I had made that abundantly clear from the beginning,” Hux grumbled. “I’m not here by choice. This is the only way I can keep my—”

“Funding,” Kylo finished for him. “I know. Didn’t mean to poke at a bruise.” He crossed his arms. “Contrary to what you might think, I’m not here to make this harder for you. If anything, I’m supposed to be helpful.”

“You could help by ceasing to pester me, then,” said Hux sharply.

Kylo blinked once, his eyes going soft and then hard again. “Fine. Wake me up when we land.” He nestled into the corner by the side wall, turning away.

Hux should have been glad for the silence, but it only increased his awareness of his discomfort and desire to get off the plane. His shoulders were starting to ache with knots, and for a moment he regretted not taking Kylo up on his offer of a back rub. As soon as the thought crossed his mind, though, he banished it. The last thing he needed were those paws groping at him. Letting his head fall back against the seat behind him, Hux heaved a sigh. They couldn’t arrive in Tatooine City fast enough.

Two hours later, he was immeasurably glad to feel the wheels of the plane touch down. As soon as they had come to a complete stop, he was on his feet, ready to get down the stairs onto the tarmac below. With hope, his suitcase would be quick in coming, and he and Kylo could get to their hotel.

“Thank you for flying with us,” said the ever-chipper stewardess as they passed her by. Hux grunted something in acknowledgement, but Kylo stopped to take her hand and brush his lips over the knuckles.

“Goodnight,” he said, winking at her. She giggled.

“For God’s sake,” Hux said, disgusted. Leaving Kylo with the stewardess, he stalked down the steps. Kylo came along behind him a moment later, coming to a stop beside him.

“You get good service if you’re polite,” he said, producing a wooden pick from somewhere on his person and working at his teeth.

Hux rolled his eyes. “Politeness is one thing, a flirtation is another. Should I be worried about you bringing company back to the hotel tonight?” Speaking of polite, that question was not. Hux didn’t actually believe Kylo would do such a thing, but he was cranky from travel and in no mood to put up with that sort of nonsense.

“What’s it to you if I do, Professor?” Kylo asked, rolling the toothpick along his bottom lip. Hux’s eye was drawn to it, but he stopped himself before he was caught out staring at Kylo’s mouth.

“This is business,” Hux replied, “not a holiday. I should go over these notes with you, and we should have a look at the maps—”

“Easy, easy,” said Kylo. “We’ll get to all that, and don’t worry about ‘company.’ I don’t play while I’m working.”

That was a relief, at least, and Hux said as much.

“Want me all to yourself, eh, Professor?” Kylo chuckled.

Hux all but stamped his foot. “Insufferable,” he grumbled. “Where is our car? I’d like to get some rest tonight.”

Kylo, hooking one thumb in his belt, and with the other hand pointed to the fragile-looking rickshaw making its way across the tarmac toward them. The man pulling it was dressed in ragged trousers cut off at the knee and a sweat-stained shirt. He grinned when he arrived next to them, displaying his few remaining teeth. Hux tried not to grimace.

Kylo greeted the man in rapid Portuguese, and there was an exchange of money. The driver, or at least that’s what Hux assumed he was called, tucked it away into some hidden pocket and gestured to Hux to bring their luggage. When Hux hesitated, Kylo gave him a put-upon look and went to retrieve it. He strapped both his duffel and Hux’s suitcase onto the back of the rickshaw before stopping beside it.

“After you, Professor,” he said, holding out his hand for Hux to take.

It was undignified to be handed up like a debutante, but Hux was too tired to think twice about it. He took Kylo’s hand and let him steady him as he stepped up into the rickshaw. When Kylo got in, the contraption groaned under his considerable weight, but the driver seemed unaffected. With both of them aboard, he pulled them into motion, setting off at a brisk trot.

The small airport wasn’t that far outside the city, Hux discovered. The narrow dirt track that they followed from the tarmac took them directly there, and soon enough they were passing by buildings—mostly whitewashed brick—and through a market that was alive with activity even after two o’clock. Dim lamps lit the square, but each stall had a burning torch or two outside to mark the entrance. Hux tried to glimpse what the vendors were hawking, but couldn’t make out more than rugs of some kind and glassware that caught the light of the flames.

“The Tatooine Night Market,” said Kylo from beside him. “It’s famous in this part of the country. You can find some of the best spices and wares here all year round, and some of these sellers only come out at this hour.”

Hux was about to ask if they could stop to look, but he had no need of either spices or souvenirs, so he held his tongue. He was also exhausted, stifling his fifth yawn since their journey from the airport had begun.

Once they had left the market, the streets grew darker, and Hux felt a rising anxiety about being set upon by bandits, or whatever such ne'er-do-wells were called in a city. Kylo was completely at ease, however, and there was something reassuring about that.

“Here we are,” Kylo said as they pulled up outside of a squat building. Over the door was painted, in block letters, HOTEL. Hux breathed a sigh of satisfaction.

Kylo sprang down from the rickshaw and set about freeing their luggage. Hux came down just slightly slower, pausing beside the driver. The man rattled off a quick few sentences at him, but Hux knew nothing of Portuguese, so he was at a loss.

“He’s asking you if it’s hot in that pretty suit,” said Kylo.

Hux had indeed begun to sweat under his clothes, but hadn’t much noticed it until that moment. “It’s not so bad,” he said, hoping Kylo would translate.

“Just wait until we get into the jungle,” Kylo said, and then he replied to the driver, who barked a laugh.

Hux narrowed his eyes. “What did you say to him?”

Kylo, with his duffel over his shoulder and Hux’s suitcase in hand, replied, “That both you and your suit are far too pretty to be out here.”

Hux’s mouth popped open at the unexpected compliment, and the heat rising in his face wasn’t just from the temperature outside.

Kylo flashed him a smile. “Come on, Hux, let’s get upstairs and get some sleep.”

A mix of electric lights and candles were burning in the main reception room at the hotel when they entered, but there was no one to be seen inside. Kylo didn’t seemed put off, proceeding directly to the desk near the rightmost wall. He rapped on its surface, spouting off something in Portuguese.

“I recognize that accent,” said a woman, in English, from beyond a nearby curtain (purple and blue stripes). It was brushed aside, and Hux had to lower his gaze to see the tiny figure that came through into the room. “Kylo Ren,” she continued, adjusting the large spectacles resting on her nose. “I didn’t think I’d be seeing you again after the last time.”

“Hello, Maz,” Kylo said. “And that flu wasn’t _so_ bad.”

“Ha!” she barked, pointing a finger at him. “You were sick as a dog, and delirious. You couldn’t hold down broth for six days. I thought you were going to die in your bed and force me to get rid of your corpse.”

“And yet here I stand,” said Kylo, hands spread wide.

Maz her turned her big eyes to Hux. “And I see you’ve brought someone with you this time.” Her hands went to her hips as she looked him over. “He’s a great deal better looking than the last one you had with you, I’ll give you that. And you certainly didn’t pick him up here. About time you had a proper liaison, child.”

Hux’s jaw went slack. This strange little woman had immediately jumped to the conclusion that he and Kylo were _lovers?_ In the part of world from which he came, the very notion would have been taboo, and certainly not the first thing someone thought upon seeing the two of them together.

“I beg your pardon,” he said. “We are _not_ —”

Kylo landed a hand on his chest, and not gently, cutting him off. “Maz Kanata, this is Doctor Armitage Hux of Arkanis University. I’m in his employ.”

“Pity,” she said, clearly disapproving. “He’s just your type.”

Hux glanced between them, gobsmacked. This discussion was beyond comprehension. His head was whirling from the simple mention of such matters, but ever more so by the seemingly casual revelation that Kylo was inclined to men, something that was forbidden in most cultures. The ancient Hosnians were actually an exception, but this was hardly the time to mention that.

Kylo cleared his throat, drawing Hux’s attention to his ever-so-slightly pinkened cheeks. “Yes, well,” he said to Maz, “we’ll just be staying the night, and we’ll need _two rooms_.”

“Very well, very well,” she said, shuffling toward the desk. Behind it was a stool that she could stand on to look over the top. “You’ll be upstairs to the left. The lavatory is shared, but I imagine you can manage to sort that out.”

Leaning across the desk, Kylo kissed her wrinkled cheek. “Thanks, Maz.”

She waved him off. “Sleep tight. Breakfast is at eight.”

He led the way up to a narrow staircase at the back of the main room, trudging up with both of their bags. Guilty, Hux paused at the landing and reached out for the handle of his suitcase.

“I’ll take it from here,” he said.

Kylo relinquished it willingly. “Your room’s right through there,” he said, gesturing. “The bathroom’s yours first. Just knock on my side when you’re done.”

Hux nodded, picking up his suitcase and heading to the nearest door. There was no lock, he noticed, as he turned the handle. He would be sleeping with his notebooks under his pillow, then. Charming.

The room inside was small, with a single bed made up neatly, a wooden chair in the corner, and a window facing north. There was no good place to put his suitcase, so he set it on the floor in front of the bed and removed his toiletries and pajamas before pushing it underneath the frame.

The lavatory was through an adjacent door, and space was limited. He set his shaving kit on the toilet tank while he relieved himself, and then removed his toothbrush. His mint toothpaste was strong enough to wash the taste of the gin and the airplane’s stagnant air from his mouth, the water cool as he washed his face with a bar of lemongrass soap he had brought along. He felt infinitely better when he was finished, though he was unsteady of his feet, he was so tired. He rapped his knuckles against the door that led to Kylo’s room before he left and closed the door to his side behind him.

It was warm in the room, and humid, but Hux tucked himself under the blankets on his bed and sighed contentedly. If he closed his eyes, he could imagine he was back in his own bedroom, with a cool morning and his lesson plans to wake up to. But the running of water from the lavatory and the yowling of a cat in the nearby alley prevented it. He suppressed a groan.

Light splashed across the floor and over the foot of the bed as the door to the lavatory opened. Hux sat up sharply. “What is it?” he demanded.

Kylo peeked out. “Just wanted to make sure you’re all right. Have what you need?”

“I’m perfectly well,” Hux groused. “I’d just like to sleep now, if you don’t mind.”

“Sure thing. Goodnight, Professor.”

Hux huffed as he turned his back on the door and pulled the blankets up over his head, trying to block out the reality of his situation and hide from whatever they would have to face tomorrow.

 

* * *

 

Hux felt as if he had been pummelled by a professional boxer when he woke the next morning. He groggily fumbled for his pocket watch, and, getting a look at it, groaned. It was just after seven o’clock in the morning. He had barely slept more than four hours. Determined to remedy that, he pulled his watch under the blankets with him and held it, like a cherished stuffed toy, to his chest. He was teetering on the edge of sleep when the knocking began.

“Professor,” came Kylo’s voice through the door. “You up?”

“No,” Hux grumbled, though it was proof that, in fact, he was awake. He had only seconds before Kylo announced, “I’m coming in. I hope you’re decent.” He scrambled to sit up, pulling the blankets up to his chin. Kylo burst in fully dressed, clomping heavily in his boots. His hat was on his head, hair hanging from beneath it, and, if Hux was not mistaken, there was a coiled bullwhip hanging from his belt. He looked every part the treasure-hunter, and Hux was struck speechless.

“Morning, Professor,” Kylo said, grinning. “Better get up and about. We’ve got to meet our guide at half past eight. It’s going to get hot in the afternoon, so we need to get on the road early. Maz has breakfast for us downstairs.” He produced a pair of leather saddlebags. “Pack these up with everything you need. That and a knapsack are all we can take.”

Hux balked. “Hardly more than a change of undergarments and socks will fit in there. How am I supposed to manage with that?”

Kylo laughed, much to Hux’s annoyance. “Grab those things and maybe a change of shirt. It’s not like we’re going to be there for more than a week.”

“A _week_?” Hux exclaimed. “The same clothing for seven days?”

“Can’t be as bad as the time I had to wear the same things for three weeks,” said Kylo. “In the jungle. There’s only so many times you can rinse out your socks.”

Hux pulled face. “Dear God. Next thing you’ll say is that I have to sleep in the same clothes, too.”

Kylo cocked his head to side. “You thought you could bring your silk pajamas?”

“Ugh,” Hux said, disgusted. “Fine. I’ll find the most necessary items and pack them.” He glared up at Kylo when he made no move to leave the room. “Are you going to watch me do it?”

“I could,” Kylo said, his voice lowered. He looked Hux up and down, despite the blankets covering him. “Those pajamas look mighty nice on you.”

Hux dropped the blanket to point at the door. “ _Out_.”

Kylo obeyed, chuckling all the way. He left the door to the lavatory open so Hux could make use of it. Hux threw the blankets back petulantly, scowling at his bare feet as they touched the wooden floor. He forced himself to stand and make his way to the lavatory for a shower and a shave.

Clean, he dressed in the sturdy tan trousers he had packed, a clean vest and shirt, and the matching jacket. He didn’t bother with a tie, though he felt exposed without it. He forlornly removed two extra sets of underwear and pairs of socks from his suitcase and tucked them into the saddlebags. He added rolled maps and his journals to them, stuffing them full. He managed an extra shirt and his toothbrush. He picked up his straight razor and considered it, but then tucked it back into his shaving kit. This was the kind of trip, he was afraid, where that was impractical vanity.

Once he was packed, he slung the heavy bags over his shoulder and carried them down the stairs along with his suitcase. He nearly tumbled down the narrow staircase, but managed to keep his footing. He stopped at the desk, where the bespectacled Maz was standing on her stool.

“You look more the part of an archaeologist today,” she said. “Though your hands are too clean.” She sniffed. “Kylo said you’d be needing to leave your luggage here while you’re gone. Just take it back behind the curtain. I’ll not let anything tragic befall it.”

Hux did as he was bid, placing the suitcase by a dusty bookshelf, where he hoped it wouldn’t come to harm. Then he returned to the entryway. Maz pointed him to the dining room across the way, where Kylo was sitting with a large cup of black coffee, bread, and hard white cheese in front of him. He was peeling a banana.

“Well,” he said around a bite of it, “I’d actually believe you were about to go on an expedition, now. Doctor Hux, explorer extraordinaire.”

Hux gave a disgruntled huff as he sat down to help himself to fruit and cheese. A young woman appeared to pour coffee for him, offering a smile as she did. Hux was sorry he spoke no Portuguese, but said, “Thank you,” as she went away again.

“So,” he started after he had swallowed a bite of the fragrant cheese, “you said we have a guide? I thought that was your task.”

“This one is to get us through the jungle to the coast,” said Kylo. “I’ve never been to this part of Brazil, so I figured we’d make better time if we found someone who knows the land.”

That was fair, Hux decided. He ripped off a chunk of bread and chewed it instead of responding immediately.

“Very well,” he said. A glance at the saddle bags. “I assume we’ll be riding. I haven’t been on a horse since I was in school as a boy.”

“Mules, not horses,” Kylo said. “They’re sturdier, surer of foot, and smarter.”

Hux reasoned it was all much the same, anyway. “All right. Are we packed with provisions?”

Kylo nodded. “Maz set us up for the next two days on the ride, but we’ll pick up more in Tosche.” He cocked a brow, lifting his coffee mug to his lips. “It’s not going to be quite as nice as those cucumber sandwiches you made.”

“No,” said Hux. “I’d imagine not.”

They finished the rest of their breakfast expediently, and, picking up their saddlebags, gave Maz a last wave before leaving the hotel. A young man in denim trousers and a red shirt was standing outside by a hitching post to which three long-eared mules were tethered. He flashed a crooked-toothed grin at Kylo and Hux, saying, “Mister Kylo, you ready to go?”

“Sure are, Davi.” He gestured to Hux. “This is Professor, I mean _Doctor_ Hux.”

Davi stuck out his hand for Hux to shake. “Hiya, Doctor. You the one going to Hosnia? Rough country out there.”

Hux didn’t like the sound of that. “Ah, yes. Kylo and I are going to Hosnia.”

“Well, I’ll get you to the boat, anyway,” said Davi. “Let’s get going.” He took Hux’s saddle bags from his hand and slung them over the nearest mule’s back. Hux was glad he had done it, as he wouldn’t have known how to do up the ties that held them in place. “Here you go, Doctor,” Davi said, patting the mule on the neck. “This is Augusta. She’ll take good care of you.”

Hux hesitantly approached the mule and offered his hand for her to sniff. She snuffled her nose into the palm, tickling him with the long hairs on her muzzle. She had big, thoughtful brown eyes.

While Hux was getting to know his mule, Davi had mounted up and Kylo had secured his saddled bags. He didn’t jump into the saddle right away, instead coming over to Hux.

“You need a leg up?” he asked.

Hux, as young boy, had always used a mounting block; he had never mounted from the ground before. “I suppose,” he said.

Kylo stepped close. “Put your left foot in the stirrup and give me your right knee.” Hux did as he was told, bending his right leg to put his knee into Kylo laced fingers. “Here we go” was all the warning he got before Kylo boosted him up and nearly over the mule’s back. Hux luckily grabbed onto a bit of thick mane and caught himself before he tumbled over the opposite side. He managed to right himself in the saddle, though at the cost of his dignity. Kylo patted his thigh. “Nice job, Professor.”

Hux grumbled an unintelligible response, taking hold of the reins. Augusta threw her head a little, startling him, and he didn’t pull as hard on the bit. “Sorry, old girl,” he said to her, and she seemed to forgive him.

“All right,” said Kylo, who had mounted and spun his mule around to face the street. He reined neatly with his right hand, while Hux used both. “Let’s get on the road.”

“Yes, sir, Mister Kylo,” Davi said cheerfully as he put his heels to his mule and they trotted off.

Augusta was apparently accustomed to following—she fell right in line behind him and Kylo. Hux started out bouncing uncomfortably with the trot, but, remembering his training, began to post: sitting up and down with every other beat of the mule’s hooves. It would hastily tire his unused leg muscles, but he reasoned that two saddle sore days were already in the offing. Might as well get used to it.

Their ride through Tatooine City was a kind of brief tour of the colorful place, and Hux was charmed by the people, animals, and buildings they rode past. As they reached the outskirts, though, he could see the greenness of the jungle closing in. It wasn’t only green, but also shadowed deeper in. Hux had heard of uncounted dangers in such places, from jaguars to poison frogs that killed with one touch. He didn’t know that those things lived in Brazil, but he was inclined to be wary of anything and everything. One after another, they entered the jungle trail, trodden down by the hooves of many mules. They slowed to a walk on the uneven ground, and Hux settled in the ride.

For the first couple of hours, Kylo and Davi chattered in rapid Portuguese, leaving Hux to sit in silence. He took in his surroundings, only somewhat bothered by the buzzing insects that seemed to be drawn by the mules. The canopy soared above his head, massive leaves and thick vines crisscrossing between the trunks of the trees. It really was awesome in scale, unlike anything he had seen before. So caught up in looking was he that he nearly fell out of the saddle as Augusta halted suddenly. Ahead of them, Kylo and Davi were dismounting. Preparing for the worst, but managing well enough, Hux slid down to the ground. His boots struck hard and his legs ached.

“Why have we stopped?” he asked.

“Just a little break,” Kylo replied as he ducked off the path. Realizing what he was meant to do, Hux went to the opposite side to relieve himself. When he returned, Kylo offered him a canteen of water. It was warm, but Hux drank deeply. “How’re you feeling?” Kylo asked.

“Not so bad,” Hux replied in earnest. “Will we ride until dark today?”

“Not quite that long,” Kylo said. “Davi has a campsite picked out for us. We just have to get there. You want something to eat?” He produced a bit of jerky and a roll, which Hux gladly accepted.

“We’re making good time,” said Davi, trotting out from the nearby foliage and still buckling his belt. “We’ll be there in about four more hours.”

Kylo wiped his mouth after a long pull from the canteen. “Sounds good. We ready to get going again?” When Hux said he was, Kylo said, “I’ll give you that leg up.”

Hux did better this time, more prepared for the strength with which Kylo lifted him. He landed more softly in the saddle this time, sparing Augusta’s back. Her sides moved in and out as she sighed. Hux stroked her neck. “Just a little longer, old girl, and then you can rest, too.” And they were off again.

Bored after about a half hour and confident that Augusta knew her way, Hux pulled out his journal and began to look it over. His reading glasses fogged up some in the humid air, but he managed to read around the spots of moisture. He had extensive notes on the geography of ancient Hosnia from the various explorers who had ventured there, but he was certain the terrain would be different hundreds of years later. He hoped the map Kylo had copied from his house would be accurate enough to get them to the Temple of Souls.

He was focused and almost missed it when Kylo switched to English and called back to him, “Hey, Professor, didn’t you say one of the myths about Shunra is that she turned into a small cat and still hunts on the island?”

“That’s correct,” said Hux. “It’s one of the lesser-known stories, but some say her spirit lingers in the form of a feline. I’ve heard a variant that claims she is reborn in a new form every five years, but the sources on that are suspect at best.”

Kylo said something to Davi in Portuguese, but then to Hux: “Davi says his great-grandfather saw her once. He swears by it. Says she was a little ginger cat with green eyes that came out of the jungle to sit at the fireside with him at his camp on the island for a while. She just stayed there with him, sitting by the fire and watching it burn. He says that’s no normal cat. It had to be Shunra’s spirit in her.”

Hux couldn’t take a man at his word like that, but he had to admit that he was intrigued by the encounter. Cats on Hosnia were said to be particularly intelligent. Maybe this was just one of those; however, Hux wished it was more. And what he wouldn’t give to see a cat like that.

“A fascinating story,” he said to Kylo. “It must have been a very special memory for him.”

“It sure was, Doctor!” called Davi from the front of their line.

Hux smiled at his enthusiasm, and he saw Kylo was grinning, too.

“You doing okay back there?” Kylo asked.

Hux nodded. “Yes, thank you. Are we near our camp?”

“About an hour more. Your backside rubbed raw yet?”

“Hardly,” Hux grumbled.

“Good,” said Kylo. “Holler if you need something.” He turned to face front again, and went back to speaking with Davi.

The last hour seemed more like five, but finally they came into a small clearing by a babbling stream. Augusta pulled at the reins, clearly interested in a drink. Hux dismounted as the others did and led her over to the water. She plunged her muzzle into the stream.

“That’s a good girl,” said Hux, running his fingers through her mane. “Pretty girl.”

“She likes you,” Kylo said from where he stood by his own mule. “You’re good with her. Good seat, quiet hands.”

Hux scratched her withers. “I believe I might be a little fond of her, too.”

When the mules were watered, Davi took them to a picket line and removed their saddles. Hux helped brush Augusta down and put a feed bag over her nose. She munched the grain contentedly.

Kylo had disappeared again while he and Davi were seeing to the mules, but he returned with his arms full of firewood, or at least what passed for it in the jungle. He built a fire at the center of camp and lit a pile of dry leaves with flint and tinder. Hux felt rather useless while he worked and Davi unpacked a roll of canvas that turned out to be a pup tent, which he erected with skill.

“Is there something I can do?” Hux asked, trying to keep his idle hands out of his pockets.

“Just make yourself comfortable, Professor,” Kylo replied. He moved away from the fire, which was beginning to crackle. “Davi’s going to go get us some meat. Want some bread in the meantime?”

Hux accepted a slice of the flat bread Maz had packed for them and set to nibbling the corner. Kylo took a seat by the fire, motioning for Hux to join him. He did, albeit haltingly; he was sore after all.

“You did good today,” Kylo said. “Not a complaint out of you.”

“Oh, I have a few,” said Hux, “but saying them aloud won’t make them go away.”

Kylo chuckled. “That’s true enough.”

Hux took another bite of the bread, chewed, and swallowed. “What kind of meat are we supposed to have?”

“Snake!” Davi declared, appearing back in the camp. He had a large constrictor slung over his shoulders, and he held up the dead head for Hux to see.

“Christ Jesus,” Hux swore. “You can’t be serious.”

Davi sat down with the snake in hand and brandished a deadly looking knife. Hux had to look away when he started to butcher it. He turned to Kylo, who was regarding him with sympathy.

“You don’t have to eat it, but I promise it’s pretty good when it’s roasted.”

Hux shook his head. “I’ll make do with the bread.”

By the time he finished his serving, Davi had set several slices of snake over the fire to cook. Hux tried to glance at them, but his stomach turned and he had focus his gaze elsewhere. He went to pull his toothbrush from his saddle bags and set to cleaning his teeth at the edge of camp. He washed his mouth out with water from the stream and spat it out again, feeling somewhat better. He shucked his jacket and splashed some more of the water over his face and neck. It was blessedly cool.

He had expected Davi to produce another set of tents for each of them, but only the single tent was there. Hux didn’t want to presume, but he hoped it was meant for him. He picked his way back over to it, about to ask when Kylo said, “You can head to sleep if you want. Davi doesn’t like tents, so he’s sleeping out here, but that’s mine and yours.”

“We’re _both_ to sleep in the tent?” Hux said, affronted.

“Mmhm. I’ll be quiet when I come in. I won’t wake you up.”

“But” was on Hux’s tongue, but he let it die before he said it. “Very well. Goodnight, Kylo, Davi.”

“Goodnight, Doctor,” Davi said with a wave as he chewed a piece of the cooked snake.

Hux checked his gag reflex and ducked into the tent. There were a couple of blankets laid out on the ground, and he chose the rightmost one. Knowing Kylo was going to join him eventually, he left his shirt on. He removed his boots and set them at the end of his blanket. The ground was hard as rock, but he found the least objectionable position and closed his eyes. He expected to struggle to fall asleep, but he drifted off almost immediately, exhausted from the day. The last thing he heard was Kylo’s deep voice as he talked with Davi in Portuguese. It was strangely comforting, and Hux was lulled.

 

* * *

 

Hux’s dreams were always strange when he was too hot as he slept. In this one he was teaching in Tarkin Hall, but jungle trees were sprouting up all around him, hiding the students until he was totally alone with only his projector. The slide was of the Idol of Shunra, but as he looked at it, it began to move and stalk out of the frame. It came toward him with open jaws, ready to consume him. He wanted to run, but he was stuck to the spot. It was over; he would be devoured. Then came a voice: “Professor. Hey, Professor. Hux.” He started out of sleep to find Kylo Ren leaning over him. He was still in the jungle, but there was a tent over his head. Ah, Brazil.

"You awake?” Kylo asked. “You were thrashing around. Nightmare?”

Hux blinked, still half asleep. “Yes. I’m sorry if I woke you.”

“It’s fine. You’re sweating something fierce. You need some water?” Kylo leaned over toward the front of the tent and produced a canteen. Hux took it thankfully. “You might want to strip down a little,” Kylo said. “It’s too hot to sleep fully dressed.”

Hux realized that Kylo was bare from the waist up, lying atop the blankets instead of under them, as Hux was. Hux tried not to let his gaze linger, but Kylo was so close and his physique was impressive. The last thing Hux wanted to do was take off his shirt and display his skinny chest and shoulders. Compared to Kylo, he was a slip of a man.

Somehow Kylo seemed to sense his discomfort and said, “At least shed the blanket, Professor.”

Hux did, tossing it aside. His underarms and neck were damp with sweat, making his shirt stick to him. Damn it all, he wanted to get out of it to let his skin dry. Unable to face Kylo, he stared at the ground as he unbuttoned the shirt and slid it off. For once, he didn’t bother to fold it. Blessed relief. He felt better already, self-conscious as he was. Lying back, he folded his hands over his stomach.

“You’re white as china,” he heard from beside him. Turning his head sharply to the side, he found that Kylo was looking at him curiously, propped up on his elbow. “Don’t get out much, do you?”

Hux averted his eyes. “I’m an academic, not an adventurer. In the sun I turn bright red. It’s not particularly flattering.”

“Hm, yeah, I guess so,” said Kylo. “You don’t get too much sun in the jungle. You’re safe under the canopy.”

Hux had nothing to say in response, so he stayed quiet; but he could feel Kylo’s gaze still on him, and shivered under it. Maz had thought them lovers, an assumption voiced so casually that it had stunned Hux into silence.

“He’s just your type,” she had said to Kylo.

Was he, Hux wondered. A striking man like him could certainly do better than a narrow-framed, _delicate_ professor of archaeology. But he was looking at Hux; he was admiring him. Hux forced himself not to shift restlessly as he lay in the tent. Attraction was inconvenient, but it was undeniably building.

“I remember the first time I camped in the jungle,” Kylo said absently. “I was with my dad, probably ten or eleven. We were going to see some ruins he was interested in. We didn’t bother with a tent, and all I could think about was something creeping out of the trees to eat us alive. There are always sounds in the jungle: insects, nocturnal animals, singing frogs. I stayed awake the whole night listening to them.”

“I didn’t think you could be afraid of such things,” Hux said.

“I was just a kid, and your imagination can run wild when you’re that age and in the middle of the wilderness.” He rolled onto his back, lying as Hux was. “When my dad woke up in the morning, he knew I hadn’t slept, and he said, ‘By the end of today you’ll be so tired you won’t be able to keep your eyes open tonight.’ Turns out he was right. We hiked all day and by the time we made camp, I could barely stand. After that the jungle wasn’t so bad.”

“Your father was an explorer, like you?” Hux asked.

Kylo replied, “Of a sort. But he was the one who taught me to survive out here, and just about anywhere. He’s a tough old bastard.”

Hux’s own father had been a military man back in England, having served in the Great War as an officer. He had been tough as well, but not in the same way Kylo—and presumably his father—was. Soldiers were less rough around the edges. Hux had thought that irksome about Kylo upon his intrusion into his life, but he seemed to fit into this world, where Hux was the one out of place. It wasn’t so hard, now, to trust him.

“Anyway,” Kylo said, “you should try to get some more sleep. We’ve got another long ride ahead of us tomorrow.”

“Yes, of course,” said Hux. “Goodnight, Kylo.”

“Night, Professor. No more nightmares, okay?”

“All right.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The fantastic [amikoroyaiart](https://amikoroyaiart.tumblr.com/) drew [Hux and Kylo on their adventures](http://gefionne.tumblr.com/post/171741054245/amikoroyaiart-based-on-gefionne-fic-my-life-in)!
> 
> The wonderful [Katie Arts](http://katiesghosts.tumblr.com/) drew [Hux in his journal](http://gefionne.tumblr.com/post/171770034150/katiesghosts-they-were-about-to-give-up-hope).


	3. Chapter 3

Hux woke with a stiffness in his back and arms from a night on the ground, once again to the sound of quiet conversation in Portuguese. Kylo’s bedroll was already gone, leaving the space in the tent beside Hux empty. Cringing as he stretched, he pulled his shirt back on and buttoned it up before he left the tent to go to the fireside. Kylo was crouched there with Davi, both of them munching on bread and the jerky Maz had packed for them. Whatever had become of the snake meat, it was nowhere to be found.

“Morning, Professor,” Kylo said. He held out a tin cup, its contents steaming. “Coffee?”

Hux would much rather have had tea, but he took the cup and drank. He grabbed a piece of bread and nibbled at it. “How long a ride do we have today?”

“About eight hours,” Kylo replied. “We should be in Tosche around five o’clock.”

Trying to ignore the aching of his thigh muscles, Hux said, “Very well. Will we stay the night there or catch the boat straightaway?”

“Boat’s only leaving in the morning,” Davi said, with a big smile, as if that information was his greatest joy to relate.

“I see,” Hux said.

Kylo set a hand on his shoulder and squeezed. “There’s a hotel there, though. A bed for you before we get into the real jungle.”

_This doesn’t count as the_ real _jungle?_ Hux thought sourly. He said aloud, “It will be best to get there promptly. I’d like to reach the temple as soon as possible.”

“Of course,” said Kylo, tearing off a chunk of jerky with his teeth. “I’ll have you there in no time, Professor.”

They finished their breakfast shortly after, though Hux was hardly close to full—he longed for the sausages, eggs, and toast he would have had at home—and began to tack up the mules. Hux remembered his training from long ago, and he managed to get the saddle on and tighten the girth without fear of the whole apparatus falling off the minute he put a foot into the stirrup. Davi surreptitiously checked it over, but beamed at Hux as he went back to his own mule. Kylo gave Hux a leg-up again—neatly this time—and they were off.

Hux let his mind wander as they rode, sometimes watching Kylo’s broad back ahead of him and other times just staring out into the foliage and trying to comprehend what it must have been like to live off the land, as the ancient Hosnians did. He hadn’t the first idea about farming, or even foraging, unless sneaking into the kitchens as a boy in public school in search of chocolate biscuits counted—which it didn’t.

The early nightmares he had had before Kylo had woken him had fortunately passed as he returned to sleep, and despite the discomfort of their arrangements, he had slept well. He was, however, looking forward to the hotel tonight. He scratched at his chin, where the beginnings of stubble were coming in. He really should have brought his razor after all; with a beard he looked like his father, which he detested. Kylo, it seemed, had much better luck with his facial hair. He clearly hadn’t shaved, but his cheeks were still mostly clean. Davi was too young for anything more than a  poor, straggly showing of a mustache. Ah well, it was no matter; Hux had no one to impress.

_Liar._

He shifted in the saddle, trying not to focus on Kylo and how he had looked at him in the night. Hux hadn’t dallied since graduate school, when there were men of his persuasion to be found and more easily identified. After taking his professorship, he had put those affairs aside and settled for his right hand in the shower every other day. Sometimes he missed the touch of others, but his work kept him distracted, and there was no way he was going to find a wife just for the sake of that. It would be unfair to her; he didn’t really want it. Kylo, though, was a different matter altogether.

_Off limits, you fool_ , he reminded himself, and turned his mind to other things.

The stopped for a break about five hours later, taking some lunch and walking to keep their legs from bowing completely. But soon enough they were back in the saddle, Hux patting Augusta’s flank as he sat on her back. “One more leg, old girl,” he said. “Then it’s rest for both of us.” And maybe some real food.

“So, Professor,” Kylo called back to him a few minutes into their ride, “what do you know about the first explorers of Hosnia?”

“Everything,” said Hux testily. He _was_ the preeminent scholar on the subject. “They were Portuguese, unsurprisingly, and were sailing on their way to Brazil when they discovered the island. They thought it might have been the mainland, but soon realized it was not. It’s not a very large island, after all.”

“Sure, sure. Did they find the Hosnians right away?”

“They did. There was a fishing party on the beach when they came ashore, and they made their first attempts at communication. Ancient Hosnian is a complex language with a written form in pictographs. Something like Ancient Egyptian, but with fewer individual symbols. It took the explorers a year or so to study it and begin to make translations. A certain Ademar Riberio took it upon himself to codify the the translations in his journal. It was the first and most accurate codex.”

“I assume you have a copy,” Kylo said.

“Not the original, of course,” said Hux, somewhat morosely. What he wouldn’t give to have that at his fingertips. “I’ve a copy I made myself from the museum.”

Kylo turned in the saddle to see him. “That must have taken weeks.”

“Only two. But I worked twelve-hour days.” He remembered those weeks fondly, despite the arduousness of the the task. He had been no more than twenty-one, and freshly entered graduate school. The curator of the museum had been so taken with his enthusiasm that he had allowed him to work long into the night if he needed to. Hux was trusted with the original journal, handling it with the utmost care in his white cotton-gloved hands. He was still friends with that curator, and visited him and his wife when he was in town.

“That’s dedication for you,” Kylo said, one hand braced on his mule’s rump as he continued to look over his shoulder. “Did you bring your copy with you?”

“No,” Hux replied, “but I’m fluent. I only have to refer to it when making the most archaic of translations. The language evolved over the centuries, you know.”

Kylo adjusted the tilt of his hat. “Of course. I trust you, then. You’ll be able to translate anything in the temple for us.”

Augusta tossed her head as Hux’s fingers tightened on the reins. He murmured an apology to her before saying, louder, “I have no doubt of that.”

“Good, good,” said Kylo. “About two more hours, Professor, and we’ll be in Tosche.” He faced forward again, and for a while they were all quiet.

By the time the town came into sight, Hux was more than ready to be off of Augusta’s back. Tosche proved to be a small village compared to Tatooine City, and more curious eyes fell on their little party as they rode into its center. In the distance, Hux could see the ocean, and he could certainly smell the briny, fishy reek of it. After the crossing from England to New York, he had sworn to himself that he would stay away from boats and waves for the rest of his life, if at all possible. He had no interest in spending another four days in his stateroom with his head hung over a basin, retching even after all the food was gone from his belly. It was proof yet again that he was not made for journeys beyond the train commutes to the various museums he frequented.

They reined up just outside of a squat clapboard building with no distinguishing markings. Davi seemed to know what he was about, though, dismounting and tying the mules to the post outside. Hux nearly fell as he landed hard on his feet, but he caught himself on the saddle.

“Thank you, old girl,” he said to Augusta, “for seeing me safely here.”

She batted her brown eyes at him, her long ears flicking toward him with interest. He rubbed between them, and she snuffled his belly.

“Okay, Doctor Hux,” said Davi brightly. “Been good knowing you. Good trip to the island tomorrow. Watch out for Shunra. She’s there, I promise you that.”

Hux shook his narrow, boyish hand. “Thank you, Davi. Safe travels back to Tatooine.” He didn’t know where the young man was headed, but he lashed the mules together and trotted away.

“He’ll camp,” Kylo said from his place beside Hux. “He’s not the roof type.”

“Remarkable lad,” Hux admitted. “I wish him the best.”

Kylo half-smiled. “So do I. We’ll see him again, probably. He’ll see us back to the city when we’re done here.”

“I look forward to it.”

Their saddlebags had been set down by the hitching post, and they both picked them up and slung them over their shoulders. They would have knapsacks for the trip to Hosnia, and they were equally small and light. Kylo had told him he would be thankful for that when they were trekking through the thick jungle for days.

The inside of the building was more austere than Maz’s hotel had been, but it was still clear that it was the same kind of establishment. Kylo made a deal of some sort with the proprietor and was given a single room key in return. Hux swallowed with dread. He trudged up the rickety stairs to the second floor, finding only a single door. The room was larger than he had expected, with French doors leading to a narrow balcony, and two single beds against opposite walls. The lavatory was no more than a closet, with only a toilet and sink. It would do, though; Hux just wanted to wash the sweat away, even if only with a wet rag.

“Clean up if you want to,” Kylo said as he dropped his saddlebags next to the bed on the far wall. “Then we can go get some dinner.”

Glad for that, Hux took out a clean shirt and undergarments from his bags and made for the lavatory. Kylo, however, stopped him and held out a leather case. “You might want this.”

Hux took it with suspicion, but it proved to be a straight razor. “Thank you,” he said, and ducked into the little room, closing the door behind him.

He made quick work of washing up, and felt much better when he was finished. Kylo was leaning against the balcony railing when Hux came out, the light wind making his open shirt billow out around him. Hux paused just to look at him. He had tied back his hair, making his ears stick out; his hat was lying discarded on his bed. His brown trousers were stretched taut across his backside, which Hux was only slightly chagrined to notice. He took up a great deal of the little balcony, his presence just as large as he was. He was a strange man, whom Hux was no closer to understanding now than he had been the moment he had walked through his door. Maybe he never would, even after this excursion.

“The lavatory is free,” Hux said.

Kylo turned. “Thanks. I’ll just be a minute, then we can go.”

Hux sat at the edge of his bed and listened to the running of the water as Kylo bathed himself and shaved. Hux had left the razor at the edge of the sink for him. Hux considered pulling out his journal again, but he didn’t bother; he knew the thing backwards and forwards. Instead, he just sat placidly, feeling his stomach growl at the prospect of real food.

“Okay,” Kylo declared when he sauntered out of the lavatory in a fresh shirt buttoned up properly. “Let’s go eat.”

The inn’s proprietor must have recommended a restaurant, since Kylo walked through town with purpose. The place was small and shaded with a tin awning held up by crooked branches cut from jungle trees. It smelled of roasting meat, which drew Hux like a siren’s song.

There were four small tables under the awning, and Kylo chose one that seated two. He didn’t order, but simply accepted the plates that were laid out for them. Hux hardly cared, either; he just wanted to eat. Glasses of some kind of room-temperature beer were served as well, and Hux drank deeply. The food was delicious.

“You doing okay so far, Professor?” Kylo asked around a bit of the blackened meat he had pulled from a wooden skewer. “I know this isn’t your kind of thing.”

“I’m all right,” Hux replied, earnest. “You’ve clearly taken care of the details. I appreciate it.”

Kylo took a sip of beer. “It’s my job.”

“Oh, yes, it certainly is,” said a woman nearby, catching them both off guard.

Hux looked up to see three figures standing next to their table, the most unfortunate company he could think of: Doctors Rey and Finn Skywalker and Poe Dameron of Coruscant University’s archaeology department.

“What in the blue hell are _you_ doing here?” he spat.

“Hello to you, too, Hux,” said Poe, wearing his usual toothy smile. “Fancy meeting you here.”

Hux glared. “I repeat: what the devil are you doing in Brazil at this exact moment?”

“Well,” said Finn, “we’re going to Hosnia. After all the research we’ve been doing, we wanted to get out there and see it for ourselves.”

Fury boiled in Hux’s gut. He nearly stood up to stare the three of them—all shorter—down, but before he could, he heard the most junior professor among them, Rey, demand, “Ben, what are _you_ doing here with _him_?”

Hux turned to Kylo, who was scowling at her. “ _Don’t_ call me that.”

Rey scoffed, crossing her arms over her chest. “What do you expect me to call you? That nonsense you tell everyone else? Your mother would laugh in my face if I called you _Kylo_.”

Hux, perplexed, glanced between them, trying to puzzle out what in the world was happening. “You know each other?” he asked.

“Of course,” Rey replied, though she kept her gaze trained on Kylo. “He’s my cousin.”

“Not by blood,” Kylo grumbled. “She’s adopted.”

Rey rolled her eyes. “ _Technically_. That still doesn’t explain what you’re doing here, _Ben._ ”

Hux, even more confused knowing that, said, “Why does she keep calling you that?”

“Because it’s his name,” Rey snapped. “Ben Kenobi Solo.”

Hux’s jaw dropped. Ben Solo was a scandalous figure in the academic community. He was the only son of the famed Egyptologist Han Solo, and had graduated at the top of his class from Coruscant. He had had a professorship lined up, but he had turned it down and disappeared. But, apparently, here he was, masquerading as Kylo Ren, an adventurer with somewhat dubious manners.

Kylo, who didn’t miss Hux’s shock, was flushed. “I stopped going by that years ago.”

“And decided to borrow the dog’s name,” said Rey, smirking. “You really loved that German Shepherd, didn’t you, Ben?”

“ _Rey_ , I swear, if you keep calling me that—”

“You’ll do what?” she taunted. “I’m not afraid of you.”

Kylo ran a hand through his hair agitatedly. “What do you want?”

“Same thing you do, I reckon,” said Finn, her newly minted husband. Their wedding had been the society event of the year that spring. “The Image of Shunra.”

Hux did stand up then, leveling an accusatory finger at Finn’s collarbone. “ _How dare you?_ You know that’s the focus of _my_ research.”

“You can hardly lay claim to all of Hosnian history, Hux,” Poe said. “Plus, you never leave the library. I’m genuinely surprised to see you here.”

“Yes, well,” Hux said curtly, “I’ve decided on a new approach to my work. And the Image is critical to it. So, I’d thank you to turn back and go.”

Poe laughed. “I don’t think so. We’re going to Hosnia with the boat tomorrow, and we’re not about to stop just because you’re here, too.”

Hux lifted his chin, haughty. “Do you even have the first idea how to gain access to the Temple of Souls?”

“We’ve done our research,” Rey said. “Do _you_?”

“Of course,” Hux snapped. “I’ve spent _years_ working on this. My whole career is built around it. You three just decided to pick it up on a whim.”

“It’s not a whim,” Finn said. “We’re dedicated to this work. And we bring a fresh perspective to it.”

Hux went to advance a step, caught somewhere between wanting to grab the little upstart by his collar and shake him and intending to strike him, but Kylo landed a hand on his chest.

“Settle down, everyone,” Kylo said. “There’s room on the island for five of us.”

“Are you suggesting we work together?” Poe asked.

“Absolutely not!” Hux cried at the same time Kylo said, “Nope, not at all.” They exchanged a look, and Hux nodded.

“Of course you want it all for yourself, Ben,” Rey said.

“ _Kylo_ ,” both he and Hux insisted. This time Hux got a small smile in thanks.

“I don’t want it for myself,” Kylo said. “It’s for Hux’s tenure, and then it’s going straight to a museum.”

“At least we can agree on that,” said Finn. “But I think we’ll be the ones getting it there.”

“You’re mistaken,” Hux said.

Poe rubbed his stubbled chin. “You want to make a wager of that?”

“I don’t gamble.”

“I do,” said Kylo. “How much?”

Hux sighed. “Oh, for the love of—”

“Conference fees for the Annual Meeting of the Society for South American Archaeology,” Poe said. “For all three of us. If you win, we pay Hux’s way.”

“That’s not an equal bet,” Hux said.

Kylo held out his hand. “Deal.” Poe shook it. Hux scowled at such childishness.

“Anyway,” said Finn, taking Rey’s arm, “we should let you get back to your dinner. See you on the boat tomorrow morning.”

“Yes, we will,” Hux ground out, but they were already gone. He glared after them, angry enough to spit—if he would lower himself to such a thing.

“Sit down, Hux,” said Kylo, “and finish eating.”

Hux sank back onto his chair, though his appetite had gone. Leaving the food, he stared at Kylo. “ _Ben Solo_ ,” he said. “How could you not tell me?”

Kylo swallowed the beef he had been chewing. “I left that life behind five years ago. I wanted to live differently.”

“But you were the brightest in our field,” Hux insisted. “You could have been a brilliant professor.”

“I didn’t want to teach,” Kylo said. “I wanted to work in the field.”

“You could have done that on sabbatical,” said Hux.

Kylo stabbed at the beans on his plate. “That’s not enough. I won’t be shuttered up in an office eighty percent of the time. And I’m _not_ a good teacher.”

“I don’t care for it, either, but—”

Kylo cut him off: “It’s not what I wanted, and it won’t ever be. This is my life; this is what I want.”

Hux started at him, uncomprehending. _This_ in exchange for a distinguished career in academia seemed ridiculous. And Ben Solo had been brilliant, a true prodigy. The man Hux thought was Kylo Ren was university-educated and descended from some of the greatest archaeologists in the United States. Even his grandfather, Anakin Skywalker, had been famous for discovering ancient artifacts of the Holy Land.

“Is that how Snoke found you to help me?” Hux asked. “He knew you as Ben Solo?”

Kylo nodded. “He’s known my parents since I was a kid. He was actually one of the people who helped me get out of Coruscant. My mother still hasn’t forgiven him.”

Leia Organa was the chancellor at the university, having been promoted several years before, to great fanfare. She had so far led Coruscant to be one of the most successful and well-funded research institutions in the country. Snoke, a mere dean, surely held that against her as much as she held his aid for Kylo in contempt.

“You said you’ve been doing this kind of work since you were a boy,” Hux continued. “And that story from last night, about your father—that was Han Solo.”

“Yes,” Kylo said. “He used to take me on all kinds of expeditions with him, and after that I started taking jobs of my own during the summers when I wasn’t studying. Leia always said I had the most restless spirit she had ever seen. I don’t know why she was so surprised when I took off.”

“The tradition in your family is the university life,” said Hux. “Surely it wasn’t so unthinkable for you to follow in hers and your father’s footsteps.”

“Do you do what _your_ father did?” Kylo asked darkly.

Hux averted his eyes. “No. I had no interest in being a soldier.”

Kylo set his hands on the tabletop with finality. “Exactly. I didn’t want to be an academic, and I never do.”

“I understand. It’s your choice, after all. Does it not bother you to help academic types on their journeys, then?”

“Not in the least,” Kylo said. “In fact, it reminds me why I decided not to go that way. No offense.”

Hux grumbled, “None taken.”

Kylo took a deep breath and let it out again. “This doesn’t change anything. We’re still going to Hosnia to find the Image, and we’ll get it, not those rats from Coruscant.”

Hux cocked a brow. “Why don’t _you_ like them?”

“I don’t really _dis_ like them,” he said, “but Rey’s a pain in the ass. She put up a hell of a fight when I said I was going away. We were close as kids. Part of me thinks she hates me for running away.” He leaned back, picking up his beer again. “Poe and I were on the same track, but I always outperformed him just a little. It should have made him furious, but it didn’t; he took the whole thing in stride with a smile.”

“I assume he was quietly pleased when he took your professorship,” Hux said.

Kylo shrugged. “He’d never put it in those words, but he’s a better teacher than I ever would have been. His students love him. I think it fits.”

“What about Finn?”

“He’s the nicest guy you’ll meet,” said Kylo. “He went to Arkanis. You know that, right?”

Hux inclined his head. “I do. I conferred his degree myself.” _Traitor._

“Well, he got a job working for Poe and that’s how he met Rey. They’re good together.” A sip of beer. “I think he takes good care of her. Not that she needs to be coddled. She’s tough.”

“And relentless in her interest in Hosnia,” Hux said. “I don’t know why she picked it, if not just to thwart me.”

“I doubt that’s why,” Kylo said. “She probably found your articles and admired them. If anything, she picked this up because of you.”

That brought on a mix of pleasure and annoyance. Hux wanted his scholarship to be widely read and appreciated, but he didn’t like the Skywalkers and Dameron stepping on his toes.

“I don’t want them getting their hands on the Image before we do,” he said. “If I don’t bring it back, I’ll never have my sabbatical, and I’ll fall further behind them and their research.” He rubbed his brow. “I don’t want to be usurped.”

“We’ll get it,” said Kylo firmly. “They don’t have the experience I do, and they don’t have a decade of Hosnian history under their belts. I’d bet they’re using a copy of that journal of translations you were talking about. There’s no way they’re fluent.”

Hux was mildly reassured. “I suppose you’re right. We do have more advantages.”

Kylo grinned. “That’s the spirit, Professor.” Gesturing to Hux’s plate, he asked, “You done? I’d like to go over some of your notes tonight before we turn in. That okay?”

“I am,” Hux said. “And it is. The more you know, the better.”

They turned their dishes over to the staff, Kylo paid them, and they ambled back toward the hotel. Kylo had his hands in the pockets of his trousers, his long steps swinging. He was so much more at home in this foreign place than Hux would ever be, and Hux was a little envious. That kind of adaptability was hard to come by.

When they got to their shared room, Kylo sat on his bed to unlace his boots. Taking off his socks, too, he wiggled his toes. Hux would normally have put his house slippers on right away, rather than walk anywhere barefoot, but it was never as warm at Arkanis as it was here. Reaching for his saddlebags, he took out his journal and the map Kylo had drawn of their route to the Temple of Souls. Hux traced the line of the river with his fingertip.

“How long will it take us to the get to the Temple?” he asked.

“Three days by my reckoning,” Kylo replied. “It’s a small island, but it’s not _that_ small. And the temple is dead center.”

Hux saw it marked on the map. “Indeed. It will be hard going through the jungle.” He hated the prospect already, longing for the clean-cut trail they had ridden on from Tatooine City.

“Afraid so,” said Kylo. He rose and crossed to Hux’s side of the room, dropping down on the bed next to him. “Have you been thinking more about the Chant of Shunra we have to get through in the last challenge?”

“I have,” Hux said. “I looked over all the pieces I have and tried to put them in order, but I’m only half sure that I’ve done it right. And it’s barely more than snippets of the whole.” He flipped his journal open to the page on which he had written those scattered pieces and handed it to Kylo. “At least there’s no danger if we do it incorrectly the first time.”

Kylo tapped his fingers at the edge of the journal. “You sure about that? The rest of the traps are deadly.”

“I’m eighty percent sure,” Hux said. “Mostly sure.”

“Right,” Kylo said, dragging out the vowel. “Well, I guess those are decent enough odds. Nothing like a little suspense to keep us on our toes.”

Hux frowned down at his lap, pinpricks of fear raising the hair at the back of his neck. For once he didn’t start as Kylo set a hand on his back, rubbing lightly.

“We’ll make it, Professor,” he said. “You’ll get us through.”

“I certainly hope so,” Hux murmured.

Kylo took his hand away and leaned forward, attentive to the journal. “What else do I need to know?”

Hux flipped a few pages back and started to go over the puzzles that would get them into the temple. Kylo listened to him, only once or twice asking questions. By the time they got through to the end of the journal, it was approaching nine o’clock.

“We should get some rest,” said Kylo. “We’ve got an early start tomorrow.”

“Of course,” Hux said. “Would you like to use the lavatory first?”

Kylo got up. “Sure. I’ll just be a minute.” He took his toothbrush into the small room and closed the door. Hux sat waiting, putting his research materials safely into the knapsack he would carry on their trek to the temple. He packed some spare clothes, but nothing too heavy, resigned to the fact that would be grubby by the time they returned with the Image.

Kylo came back out with his shirt hanging over his shoulder, bare chested, with his braces hanging down around his legs. “All yours,” he said.

Hux kept his focus on his own toothbrush and soap as he hastened into the lavatory. Upon his return, he found Kylo sprawled out on the bed in nothing but his undergarments, his eyes closed. Hux looked quickly away from his rangy legs and flat belly, turning off the light before he stripped out of his own shirt. He left on his trousers as he crawled into bed.

“Night, Professor,” Kylo said.

“Goodnight,” was Hux’s reply.

He expected to fall asleep quickly, but his thoughts continued to churn as he lay flat on his back. He was still trying to wrap his head around Kylo’s true identity. He was five years younger than Hux was, just starting his PhD when Hux was donning his cap and gown for his graduation. Ben Solo’s doctoral research had been on the Byzantine relics—far from Hosnian history—but Hux had read his dissertation anyway, and had been impressed by the depth of study and insightful conclusions. Hux had actually hoped to meet him one day, and have a discussion, but he had disappeared before he had had the opportunity.

Hux hated to admit to such snobbery, but his interest in Kylo had increased since finding out he was university-educated. He was roguish, yes, but underneath that was alluring intelligence. Hux had always been drawn to intellect more than looks—of which his history of lovers at university was proof; all were plain—but Kylo had, unfortunately for Hux, a mix of both.

Had Hux met him at a conference, he would have been hard to resist. Hux likely would have courted him carefully, inviting him to drinks and daring to get just a bit too close, until he had discerned whether Kylo was interested. If it was clear he wasn’t, Hux would move away, finish his drink, and leave. But if he had been...well, Hux had a hotel room to which they could steal away.

To his extreme displeasure, Hux felt his cock beginning to fill as he considered such a scenario. Physically, Kylo was imposing, and Hux could imagine how he might toss a lover down and have his way with him with the same coarseness with which he conducted himself. Not that he would hurt someone, but just handle him roughly enough to show that he could. Hux’s previous lovers had been polite and careful, even in the throes, and while Hux had enjoyed himself, the prospect of being manhandled now had him hardening startlingly fast.

He dared not touch himself with Kylo sleeping only feet away, and he pressed down on his erection with the palm of his hand, willing it to subside. There was the lavatory, of course. He could slip inside for a few minutes and stroke himself off, but he felt dirty just thinking about it. What a base thing to do; he had better control of himself than that.

He turned onto his side to lessen the temptation, but it did little to help. He could hear Kylo’s sleepy breathing, the minute shifts of his body. In need of air, Hux rolled out of bed and crept over to the balcony. He stood at the edge, leaning on the railing, and letting the sea-scented air clear his head. He all but jumped out of his skin when he heard from behind him, “You okay, Professor?”

Spinning on his heel, he saw Kylo standing at the threshold, rubbing at his eyes with his fists like a child. He had clearly just woken.

“How did you know I was out here?” Hux asked. “You were dead asleep.”

“Your bed was empty,” Kylo replied.

Hux narrowed his eyes, suspicious. “You were checking on me?”

Kylo sauntered a few steps forward. “Is there something wrong with that?”

“You’re not my nursemaid,” Hux said. “What did you think I was going to do, run back to Arkanis in the night?”

“I wouldn’t put it past you,” said Kylo, one side of his mouth curving up.

Hux glowered at him. “I’m committed to this endeavor. And I’m not a coward who scurries away like a scared rabbit.”

Kylo raised his hands in surrender. “Okay, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean anything by it. Not an insult, anyway.”

“Good,” Hux said curtly.

In the moonlight, Kylo was pale and seemingly even bigger than he was in the daytime. He was still undressed save for his underthings: drawers tied at his waist and ending mid-thigh. Hux would have been abashed to appear so unclothed, but he did realize he was shirtless. He crossed his skinny arms over his chest.

“Are you planning on staying up with me, then?” he asked. “You don’t have to.” He cocked a brow. “Maybe I want solitude.”

Kylo mirrored him. “Do you?”

“I suppose it doesn’t matter,” said Hux with a shrug. “Stay or go, your choice.”

Kylo stepped up to the railing and leaned on it as Hux had before. “It’s a nice night. If you’re going to be up, it might as well be now. Was something keeping you awake?”

_You, and how you might bed me_ , Hux thought. However, he said, “Just considering the goal. I’d never fathomed seeing the Image of Shunra in person. Part of me is loath to take it from the temple, but it would be a stunning piece in a museum’s collection. And others could see it in all its glory.”

“You’re really dedicated to this,” said Kylo. “It’s admirable.”

“Were you not dedicated to your studies?” Hux said, uncrossing his arms and resting them on the railing.

“Sure I was, but I wanted to see the world. Bring back things like the Image for people to enjoy.”

“Yes, I can understand that.” Hux glanced at him. “It’s also admirable.”

Kylo eyed him sidelong. “Bet you wouldn’t have said that a couple of days ago. You accused me of a being a no-good treasure-hunter. Or don’t you remember?”

“Yes, I apologize about that,” Hux said. “But I had no idea who you were.”

“You weren’t supposed to,” Kylo grumbled.

Hux nodded. “Of course. I won’t go crying it from the rooftops, if that’s what you’re worried about.”

Kylo smiled again, huffing a little laugh. “Thanks. I’d rather most people not know. Not that my name is that recognizable outside of archaeology circles. But in a way I stayed in the business, so…” He trailed off, clasping his hands over the edge of the railing.

“Well, it’s no business of mine to spread your name around,” said Hux. “Unless it’s Kylo Ren. Perhaps my recommendation could lead to more work for you.”

“Maybe it would,” Kylo said. “If we survive this, I wouldn’t mind you putting in a good word for me.”

“I assure you, I will.”

They lapsed into a comfortable silence for a time, listening to the sounds of the insects and, distantly, the hiss of ocean waves on the beach. Kylo was still as stone, his face lit in profile by the moon. Hux tried not to stare, tried not to admire him openly. He hated being tempted like this, at the most inopportune time. He found himself thinking back to Kylo’s offhanded admission of his preferences. It was so dangerous, but he seemed not to care in the least. Maybe that was a perk of his lifestyle: not as much judgment in a small community like Arkanis, where gossip spread like wildfire. Hux envied that, if it was the case.

They were close enough that if he shifted his arm an inch he would brush Kylo’s. How easy it would be, and maybe even welcome. Hux doubted that, and he scolded himself, too, for even considering it. They had a job to do.

“I suppose we should go back to bed,” he said finally. He stepped back from the railing and turned toward Kylo. “Thank you for keeping me company for a bit.”

Kylo faced him, a curious expression on his face. Hux was about to ask what was the matter, but before he could speak, Kylo’s arm was around his waist and he was pulling Hux into a kiss. The shock of it stunned Hux so completely that he was frozen, unable to push away or move into the embrace; he wasn’t sure which he wanted. Kylo’s lips were soft against his, plying Hux to return the kiss. He held tight to Hux’s waist, massaging lightly in encouragement. When Hux stayed cold, though, he pulled back. There was a split second of quiet, and then Hux slapped him.

“Ow!” they both cried, Kylo cupping his reddening cheek and Hux his fingers. Hux had never struck anyone before, and it _hurt_.

“ _How dare you?_ ” he snarled, glaring at Kylo with indignation he only half felt. The other portion was the nervous trembling of kissing someone he fancied for the first time.

“God, Hux,” Kylo said, “I guess I read you all wrong.” His brows drew together. “But I was so sure.”

“Sure of what?” Hux demanded.

Kylo gave him an annoyed look. “That you wanted a kiss just now. That you wanted me to kiss you at all. I mean, the way you look at me…”

Hux, mortified, turned his gaze to the floor. When he tried to deny it, it sounded just as false as it was: “I do no such thing. For you to presume anything of the sort is despicable.”

At first Kylo didn’t reply, and Hux refused to look at him. If he dared meet Kylo’s eyes again, he was afraid of what he might do.

“Well, I’m sorry I _presumed_ , Professor,” Kylo said coolly. “I’ll say goodnight, then.”

He turned to go, and Hux wanted to be relieved, but he wasn’t. He had just gotten what he had wanted, hard as it was to admit to himself. As Kylo turned to go, Hux grabbed his arm. He finally looked up, and there was Kylo’s curiosity, no trace of smugness after what he had done.

“Oh, _hell_ ,” Hux said, and then he kissed him.

The contact was hard at first, both of them caught off guard—and Hux out of practice—but Kylo softened the kiss, allaying the urgency of it. He slid his arms around Hux’s waist to draw him closer, and Hux went, pressing himself against Kylo’s front. Tentatively, he set his hands on Kylo’s biceps. He needed the hold to steady himself when he opened his mouth for Kylo’s tongue. Kylo kissed like he behaved: forward and unconcerned for decorum. This time Hux wasn’t affronted by it; here, it fit, and Hux was quickly caught up in the insistence of it. He knew he was blushing, but not only in his face. The heat went all the way from his neck to his chest, where his heart was beating powerfully.

It had been years since he had kissed a man, and none quite like Kylo, who went into it fearlessly. His previous courtships had been appropriately staid, negotiated before either of them ever touched, but not with Kylo; that would have been too civilized. But damn it all, Hux was enjoying it.

Kylo’s lips were wet with their shared saliva as he pressed them to Hux’s chin, his jaw, and up to the lobe of his ear. Hux—shamefully—gasped when he took it between his teeth and sucked. He made a low, sighing sound as Kylo slid his hands lower to grasp Hux’s buttocks.

“Well, Professor,” Kylo said, still against his ear, “I guess I wasn’t wrong after all. I’ve got pretty good intuition when it comes to that.”

“Bloody arrogant is what you are,” Hux said, though he tipped his head back to allow Kylo to kiss down his neck. “And presumptuous, still.”

Kylo nipped at his pulse point. “You’re the one who kissed me back.”

Hux scoffed, despite the truth of it. “I shouldn’t have.”

“Too late now,” said Kylo, digging his fingers into the meat of Hux’s ass. They kissed feverishly, holding tight to each other with the moon bearing witness. “We should take this inside,” Kylo continued when they came up for air.

“A-All right,” Hux managed to say. Kylo steered him back across the threshold by his hips, matching his steps like a dance partner, until they reached Kylo’s bed. Hux barely stopped to think how far this was going to go, instead just concentrating on Kylo’s touch. There was no sense in stopping now; they were already in it up to their noses.

Kylo reached between them to undo the fly of Hux’s trousers. Shamefully, Hux was already hard beneath them, his earlier desire sprung back into full life. Kylo paused to cup his cock, his grin visible even in the dark. Hux wanted to glare at his gall, but instead he made an “mm” sound and pushed into Kylo’s hand.

“The minute I saw you in your waistcoat and matching trousers, I wanted to get my hands on you,” Kylo said, resuming his work in divesting Hux the trousers he now wore. “You’re so _prim_. I wanted to break that.”

“You’re a barbarian,” Hux said, though his hands were in Kylo’s hair and he was letting him shove his trousers over his hips. They slid to the ground, pooling at his feet.

Kylo went for the laces of his drawers. “You don’t seem to mind so much right now.”

Hux stammered, “I...well, no.”

“Good,” Kylo said, “because I’m going to show you just how barbaric I can be.” Despite that, he was careful not to catch Hux’s cock painfully as he lowered his drawers. No more than a heartbeat later, his hand was around him. Hux exhaled in a sharp puff. “I knew I was in trouble last night,” he murmured as he began to stroke Hux, “when you were next to me. I spent half the night hard, just thinking about how soft you’d be if I touched you.” He squeezed. “But not all of you is soft for me.”

“Do you always talk this much?” Hux said, even if he loved what Kylo was saying. Nobody had ever been so overt, so vulgar, in coupling.

“When I’m of a mind to, yes,” Kylo replied. “But if you want quiet, I can do that.” Releasing Hux, he dropped to his knees and took Hux’s cock in his mouth.

“ _God,_ ” Hux groaned, putting a hand at the back of his head to hold him in place. His knees quivered with the effort of holding him up, and he yearned for something to hold onto. Even better, to lie down. “Kylo,” he said, “get up.”

Kylo came away with a _pop_ , looking at him from the ground. For the first time, he seemed unsure. “Don’t like it?”

Hux touched his heated cheek, the one he had struck. “I can barely stand. Lie with me instead?”

“Okay,” Kylo said, rising. He kissed Hux again before letting him step free of his clothing and lie back on the bed. Kylo parted his legs and knelt between them, his hands resting on Hux’s hips. “This better?”

Hux nodded fervently, and Kylo grinned. Bending down, he lapped at the tip of Hux’s cock before swallowing him again. He was damn good at it, Hux found; he knew when to take him deep and when to use his hand, teasing fast and slow to drag it all out. Hux was panting above him, hands fisted in the blankets.

“Faster,” he bid Kylo as the beginnings of climax tingled in his lower belly. Kylo complied, swirling his tongue along the underside of him as he bobbed his head. Hux, chin down, watched his cock disappear into his mouth again and again, his full lips made for just this. “Oh, God,” Hux hissed. “I’m close. It’s so _good_.”

A deep growl from Kylo sent him careening over the edge, spilling down Kylo’s throat as he jerked and shuddered, toes curled. Kylo sucked him through it, until he relaxed, spent, head heavy on the pillow. He barely registered it as Kylo moved up, his thighs over Hux’s hips. There was the sound of skin on skin, a grunt, and then hot spend across Hux’s chest. His eyes snapped open, and he gasped, revolted.

“You beast!” he cried, taking in the sticky white mess between his flat pectorals.

Above him Kylo gave him a quizzical look. “What did you expect me to do?”

“Let me do what you did to me,” said Hux. “Something civilized. Something _neat_.” He pulled a face as the fluid cooled on his skin. “Get off of me. I need to clean up.”

Kylo did, swinging his leg over Hux’s until he could get awkwardly off the bed. His drawers were hanging off of his hips, his cock just outside, softening steadily. He looked utterly ridiculous. Appalled by the whole affair, Hux got to his feet and went to the lavatory to wash Kylo from him. He wet a cloth and wiped his chest clean, throwing the cloth onto the floor when he was finished.

Kylo had set himself to rights when Hux came back out, his drawers neatly done up again as he sat at the edge of the bed. “Okay, you don’t like me coming on your chest,” he said, hands on his knees. “I won’t do it next time.”

Hux planted his hands firmly on his hips, stance wide. He tried not to think of the fact that he was still completely nude. “ _Next time?_ I think not. This was enough of a mistake as it is.” He stalked over to where he had left his trousers and drawers and snatched them up. He cast aside the trousers, but pulled on the drawers, much more comfortable without his cock on full display. Not that Kylo hadn’t just had it in his mouth. God, what had he done?

“Don’t be that way, Hux,” Kylo said, addressing him for once by his name. “You don’t mean it.”

“I most certainly _do_ ,” said Hux, forcefully. “You’re an absolute brute, and I can’t stand to look at you.” He tossed the top sheet off and slid into bed. He could hear Kylo’s heavy sigh from across the room.

“Five minutes ago you would have been sucking my cock without compunction,” Kylo said, “because it’s ‘neat.’ And now it’s a mistake?”

Hux tried to pretend he didn’t make a good point. “It was a stupid idea. We’re supposed to be working. Didn’t you say you don’t play while you’re on a job?”

“Not if the client is the one I’m sleeping with,” came the short reply. “Doesn’t that make it part of the business?”

“Hardly!” Hux exclaimed. “You are completely without manners, aren’t you? I can’t believe I deigned to let you into my bed.”

“Technically, we were in mine.”

Hux sputtered, “Would you just _shut up_ and let me sleep?”

“Okay, Professor,” Kylo said, “but this discussion isn’t over. If you think I’m just going to lie down and let you leave me in the dust, you’ve got another thing coming.”

Hux swallowed, a little afraid of how dogged he might actually turn out to be.

Kylo continued, “We’ve got at least another twelve days together. If that’s how long it takes to convince you, I can deal with that.”

“You weren’t so good that I can’t resist you, Ren,” Hux said. He had been the best Hux had had in a long time, but maybe not the very best he’d _ever_ had.

“Oh, we’re back to ‘Ren,’ are we?” Kylo said. “You want me to call you Doctor Hux next time we’re together?”

“We are not—”

Kylo interrupted him: “Yes, I know. We’re not doing it again. You’re wrong, but I’ll let you think you’re not for now.”

“You wouldn’t force me against my will,” said Hux.

“Of course not,” Kylo was quick to say. “When you come to me, it’ll be of your own volition.”

“You are _boorish_ ,” Hux spat. “Do you really think so highly of yourself that you could make me change my mind?”

“If you’ve already forgotten,” Kylo said, “we just—”

“I know what we just did! And it won’t happen again.” He rolled over onto his side, facing away from Kylo’s side of the room. “This discussion _is_ over. Good _night_.” The chuckle he heard rankled him.

“Sleep tight, Professor.”

Hux buried his head in his pillow, ashamed but sated in a way he hadn’t been in years. As the high of sex and a disagreement faded, he found that he was quite tired, and drifted off to sleep.

 

* * *

 

Morning light and the noise from outside the French doors woke Hux the next day. It was early still, just before seven according to his pocket watch. He turned cautiously to look across the room, but Kylo’s bed was empty. Surely he hadn’t let Hux sleep and miss the boat. No, his knapsack was still sitting at the foot of the bed. Relieved, Hux got up and made for the lavatory to relieve himself. He stopped as he saw a note pinned to the door.

 

_Gone to get supplies. Boat leaves at half past seven._ _  
_ _\- KR_

 

Cleaned and shaved—Kylo had left his razor for Hux’s use—Hux packed the rest of his things into his knapsack and sat to wait. He wasn’t about to go chasing after Kylo when he could be anywhere in town. Fortunately, it wasn’t long before the door swung open and he appeared, a few bags in his hands. He gave Hux a cold, cursory glance before setting the bags down to go through them. He pulled out dried meat, fruit of some kind, and two loaves of hard-crusted bread.

“Is that what we’re eating?” Hux asked.

“Mmhm,” Kylo replied. “We’ll forage for the rest. If your ancient Hosnians did it, then we will, too.”

Hux did actually have extensive notes on the flora of Hosnia: which plants were safe to eat and which were not. They would do fine, he supposed. “Thank you for getting the supplies,” he said.

Kylo said nothing, but finished his packing and stood from his crouch. “You ready to go? We should get to the boat.”

“I am, yes,” said Hux. He picked up his knapsack and his saddlebags. “What are we to do with these?”

“We’ll leave them with the innkeeper. We’ll only be away a few days.”

Hux shouldered the bags with a nod and followed Kylo out of the room.

They got to the beach ten minutes before the boat was the leave. It was a small, steam-powered vessel floating a few hundred feet off the beach. A dinghy was on the sand, two hands waiting to row it across to the boat, and, much to Hux’s annoyance, Poe Dameron and Rey and Finn Skywalker were standing next to it with their own gear on their backs.

“Morning!” called Poe, waving. “Looks like we’re all going over together.” He offered a canvas bag, holding it wide open. “Pastry?”

Hux looked at the glazed bread scornfully and shook his head (despite his hunger). Kylo, though, reached in and pulled out three. As he bit into one, a drop of red jam dripped onto his chin. He shoved the rest into his mouth, chewing loudly, and handed another to Hux. His look said it all: _Just eat._ Hux took the pastry and began to nibble the edge. It was sweet and fluffy, fried somehow but covered in glaze and filled with fruit jam.

“So,” Finn began, adjusting the straps of his pack over his broad shoulders, “which route are you two planning to take?”

“We’ll not tell you that,” said Hux curtly. “You’ll just follow us.”

Rey pinned him with a disapproving glare. “We have our own plans and won’t be following your footprints all the way to the Temple of Souls. That implies you’d beat us there, and you _won’t_.”

“Is that so?” Hux taunted. “I’ll have you know, you little muskrat, that I was studying Hosnia when you were in secondary school.”

“ _Theoretically_ ,” she said, cutting.

Hux bristled, leveling a finger at her where she stood half a foot shorter than him. “This is my life’s work. I won’t be dismissed like some amateur. Like yourself.”

“Easy now, Hux,” Poe said. “There’s no need for that.”

“If she won’t be civil,” Hux countered, “then neither will I.”

Rey snapped, “Oh, this _is_ civil. But I will gladly show you _un_ civil—”

Kylo cut between them, holding up his hands. “Okay, children, play nice. We’re all here to study, so let’s just do that and not be at each other’s throats.”

“If _he’s_ the voice of reason,” said Rey, deflating, “then I suppose we really should take a step back.” She did, physically putting more distance between them. “I apologize for antagonizing you, Hux. Your work is foundational to the study of ancient Hosnia. We wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for your articles on the Golden Age, when the temple was built and the Image of Shunra cast.”

She sounded genuine enough, so Hux said, “I shouldn’t have accused you of being an ameteur. You were educated at one of the finest institutions in the country. You may still be cutting your teeth, but you’re bright.”

“There,” said Kylo. “Not so hard, is it?” He gave them both space, choosing to come to Hux’s side. If it was a show of solidarity, Hux appreciated it.

“We go now!” called one of the sailors by the dinghy, gesturing for them to join him. They did, Hux cringing at the wet sand that covered the toes of his boots. They were going to see far worse, he knew, but this christening was a reminder of that. He sat near the center of the dinghy, leaving Finn and Rey to sit next to each other and Poe at the prow. Kylo helped the oarsmen push it into the water, soaking his legs up to the knee. He sprang cleverly into the rearmost seat and exchanged a few words in Portuguese with the oarsmen. Then they were off.

The water was thankfully calm as they rowed out toward the boat, and the passengers said little. A rope ladder was dropped from the side of the boat as they arrived alongside it. Hux was the first to take hold and climb uncertainly up. He disliked the sway of the ladder with the rolling of the boat on the waves, but he managed to get overtop of the gunwale and onto the deck without much trouble.

“Welcome aboard, sir,” said a short man with smooth, dark skin and a head of curly black hair. “Good day for sailing.”

“Indeed,” Hux said, adjusting his pack on his shoulders. “Are you the captain?”

“Sure am, sir. The _Lena_ is my boat.” He grinned, revealing white teeth, save for one in the front, which was missing. “Glad to take you over to that island. Not much there, though, these days.”

Hux nodded tersely, refraining from correcting him: there was a wealth of ruins and cultural artifacts on Hosnia just waiting to be discovered. “Thank you, Captain.” He stepped out of the way to allow the rest of their party to join him on deck.

“Best get going,” said the captain, rubbing his hands together. “About an hour’s journey and we’ll be there.” He turned and left the five of them standing amidships, Rey, Finn, and Poe facing Kylo and Hux, all still eyeing each other with distrust.

Hux was the first to clear his throat, breaking the tension. “Well, I’m for the prow, where I can see. If you’ll excuse me…” He shouldered his way between Poe and Finn, determined steps carrying him toward the fore of the boat. He hoped to be left alone, and seemingly got his wish as the vessel began to move slowly out into the open ocean.

There was a light sea-scented breeze that disordered Hux’s hair, but he disregarded it as he leaned on the gunwale, pack dropped at his feet. Hosnia couldn’t yet be seen, but he was determined to be the first one to set eyes on it when it came into view. He had to admit that there was a certain excitement building in him, now that he was approaching the island and all that he had spent his adult life studying. Surely he would find objects and sites to explore. The sketches he could make… It would flesh out his book even further. Damn it all, this was going to be a benefit to him, and he was beginning to approve of Snoke’s demand that he go on the expedition.

And there was Kylo. Hux had been an utter fool to go to bed with him last night; it complicated things in a way they couldn’t afford. But it _had_ been good. So many years without more than a handshake between colleagues hadn’t been terribly bad; but that was before he was reminded of how much he had once craved touch—mostly when he was at university. There had been those awkward fumblings during his years as a schoolboy, too, that had led him to accept his preferences. He had almost forgotten how solid another man felt under his hands, how heated the kisses could be.

However, Kylo had proved himself to be just as uncouth as Hux had first assumed him to be. He had made such a mess, and all over Hux, too. It was the kind of thing unschooled teenagers did, unable to control themselves. _Men_ were decorous, even in the bedroom. Hux wrinkled his nose, but there was one deeply buried part of him that accepted, even approved of it. Kylo was a different kind of man than he had been with before, and there was something enticing about just how base he was.

_No_ , Hux thought. _You cannot give in, as he said you would. He’s a disaster waiting to happen. You deserve better._

But where he would find better in his closed-in academic world was a question he wasn’t sure he was yet prepared to answer. Glancing back behind him, he spotted Kylo sitting on a crate, his feet propped up, the leather of his boots still darkened with damp. His hat was on his head, hiding half his face in shadow. Still, Hux could make out the long slope of his nose. Curse him, he was a damned handsome man.

A few paces further aft were Finn, Rey, and Poe in close conference, bent over what looked like a map. Hux would have liked to know what their plans were, but he couldn’t find a way to eavesdrop without being found out. A quick glance between them and Kylo, though, revealed that he was very much within range to hear them. He was picking nonchalantly at his fingernails, but if Hux wasn’t mistaken, his attention was on their rivals. Clever, Hux conceded.

Hux turned back to the ocean, watching the waves crest and break for a time. It was mesmerizing in its way, and he barely noticed when Kylo appeared beside him. As he spoke, Hux started.

“Hey, Professor,” he said. “I think I’ve got an idea of where the Coruscant contingent is going once we make landfall. They’re taking the eastern route on the outskirts of the jungle to stay out of the roughest parts.”

“Is that good or bad for us?” Hux asked.

“Could be either,” Kylo replied. “It’s farther out of the way and could add half a day to their trek, but if we get bogged down in the jungle, it could add just the same amount of time to ours.”

Hux turned to him, brows knit. “I thought we were following the river. Won’t that be manageable?”

Kylo nodded. “Sure. But we have to get to the temple from the banks, and that will mean getting through some thick jungle. If we make good time, though, we should beat them there.”

“Then we stick to that plan,” said Hux. He wasn’t looking forward to hacking their way through vines and trees and other foliage, but if it meant they would get to the temple faster, he would do it. He added, “I trust you’ve chosen the best route.”

“Do you, now?” Kylo said, half smiling.

Hux scowled. Smug, arrogant, irritating bastard. “Don’t take it to heart,” he grumbled. “I just believe you have a good handle on your work. And this is a _professional_ affair.”

Kylo hitched his thumbs in his belt. “Sure it is, Professor. Sure it is.”

They fell silent then, and stayed that way for the next while, both just watching for the first signs of Hosnia in the distance. Hux had to blink once or twice to make sure he wasn’t imagining it, but he saw a thin strip of land ahead.

“There it is!” he cried.

“Should be there soon,” said Kylo. “Grab your pack, Professor, and let’s get ready.”

They were the first into the dinghy again, leaving the others to follow down the rope ladder. Hux and Kylo sat beside each other this time, Hux nervously bouncing his leg. Kylo set a hand on his knee, pressing ungently.

“Settle down,” he said. “It’ll be fine.”

Hux stilled, but he wrung his hands in his lap. Kylo didn’t bother to stop him.

The oarsmen jumped out of the dinghy to pull it ashore on a sandy beach. A few hundred feet beyond it was a thick, dark jungle that looked impenetrable from where Hux presently stood. Taking his pack, he jumped out onto the sand and took his first few steps on Hosnia, as the great explorers and ancient people once had. There, once again, was the thrill.

“Well, friends,” said Poe from a few paces away, “looks like this is where we part ways.” He winked. “Hopefully you’ll be seeing us on our way back from the temple with the Image. And paying our way to the conference this fall.”

“Good luck, Dameron,” Kylo said. “See you all in a few days.”

Slinging his arms around both Finn and Rey, Poe led them to the east. Hux watched them go, leaving matching footprints in the sand. Unwilling to waste any time, he faced Kylo.

“Are we going, then?” he asked.

Kylo held out his arm as if he expected Hux to accept it around his own shoulders. “Sure. Walk with me?”

Hux scoffed. “Just lead the way.”

Laughing, Kylo dropped the arm and headed west. Hux fell into step with him as they approached the edge of the jungle.

“The mouth of the river should be...right here,” Kylo said. They rounded a large rock and Hux spotted a trickling stream running out into the ocean. It could barely be called a river, but Hux knew that the river broke into smaller tributaries farther inland, which diverted the main flow of fresh water. But it was still the path that would take them toward the Temple of Souls.

“You ready, Professor?” Kylo asked.

Hux took in their path, sucked his teeth, and steeled himself. “I’m ready.”

Together, they stepped into the jungle.


	4. Chapter 4

The jungle was a looming cavern of green and brown, the growth underfoot thick and difficult to navigate. Hux was sweating through his shirt despite the shadowed gloom the sun could not penetrate. The canopy and foliage blocked the wind, keeping the air stuffy and closed-in. It was a blessing he had never been afraid of tight spaces.

Kylo was a pace ahead of him, cutting through the vines and making a path for Hux to follow. They hadn’t spared much energy for conversation as they followed the widening river inland. Hours had passed since their arrival that morning, but Hux had no gauge of how much progress they were making.

He was carefully watching where he was putting his feet, fearful that he could turn an ankle on a hidden root, when he saw the moss-covered rocks not far away. To the untrained eye it might have looked like a natural formation, but Hux knew better; this was a ruin. Most of the ancient Hosnian dwellings had been fashioned of degradable materials such as tree limbs and woven vines, but every village had had a structure of stone where ceremonial plants and foodstuffs had been kept. Most were small, and this one had long since collapsed, but it was clearly that.

“Stop!” Hux called, forging his way over to the stones and crouching to inspect them. They were identically hewn cubes, mostly covered in green with some ferns sprouting up between them.

“What did you find?” Kylo asked from over his shoulder.

Hux dared not disturb the site, but he could imagine the squat building. “A storage hut,” he said. “Or what remains of one. This was a dwelling place, once.” A thrill passed through him at saying it aloud.

“Not much left,” said Kylo, casting a glance around them. “But this is a good place for it. It’s next to the river. Might have flooded, though, in a heavy rain.” He stepped away, his footfalls heavy and crunching in the undergrowth. “Hey, Professor, I think you should see this.”

Hux rose and turned to look. He nearly gasped as he set eyes on a carved statue away from which Kylo had cleared the brush. It was strikingly done and clearly depicted Shunra. He hastened to it, pulling out his notebook to make a sketch. Kylo stood by as he began to draw, his lower lip drawn between his teeth.

The craftsmanship was mid fourteenth century to be sure, an incredible artifact. It stood on a pedestal at eye-level, the open eyes on the feline gazing ceaselessly into the jungle. No doubt it had been installed as a protective measure, a guardian for the village.

“Stunning,” Hux muttered to himself. “Absolutely stunning.”

Kylo didn’t linger by him while he drew, instead exploring the site for some other signs of previous inhabitants. He wouldn’t find much, Hux guessed, but this was an incredible find, and so soon into the journey. He was vibrating with excitement for what else they would encounter along the way.

“Christ alive!”

Hux’s pencil strayed from his sketch, leaving a dark line across the page. He scowled, about to berate Kylo for his interruption. However, he heard another curse and a grunt. “What the devil is wrong with you?” he demanded. “You are—” His mouth snapped shut as he spotted Kylo a few paces away, massive snaked cured around his shoulders.

The constrictor—body thick as Hux’s fist—must have fallen from one of the trees above right onto the unfortunate Kylo. It was likely just as panicked as him, both of them struggling to rid themselves of the other. Kylo scrabbled at the snake, bending at the waist to pitch it over his head. As soon as it fell, he was scrambling back and away. The snake slithered hurriedly off and back into the underbrush. Kylo pulled his hat from his head and fanned his ruddy face.

“Snakes,” he said, clearly shaken. “I hate snakes.”

Hux woke from his shocked trance and went to him. “Are you all right? It didn’t bite you, did it?”

Kylo shook his head. “Boas like that don’t bite, per se. They’re not venomous. It wasn’t big enough to kill me, but I’m sure it was only a juvenile.” He shuddered. “You didn’t warn me there were big snakes on the island.”

“I didn’t think of it,” said Hux. “There are a number of dangerous species here. Should I have also told you about the poison frogs?”

Kylo rolled his eyes. “Of course there are poison frogs.” He waved his hat in front of him a last time before putting it back onto his head. “You have all the notes you need from this site?”

“I do,” Hux replied. “Thank you for stopping. Are we making good progress?”

“You have the map, Professor.”

Hux reached into his shirt pocket and produced the copy of the map Kylo had made in his dining room at Arkanis. He held it out for Kylo to see; he hadn’t the first idea where on it they currently were. Kylo looked it over for a moment before taking the pencil from behind Hux’s ear and marking an X just around the first major bend in the river.

“I’d say we’re about here,” he said. “That’s as far as I had expected in dense jungle. We’ve come about fifteen miles, I think. Got about fifteen more today and seventy-five miles to get to the temple.” He gave Hux a questioning look. “You doing all right?”

Hux was admittedly a bit tired and getting on toward being sore, but he would last for another fifteen miles; he had to. “Yes, I’m fine. Shall we continue?”

Kylo brandished his machete again and hacked through a vine ahead of them, saying nothing else.

 

* * *

 

Hux hadn’t underestimated the sweaty, filthy feeling in which being in the jungle would result, but experiencing it was still far worse than he had imagined. By the time the sun began to set on that first day on Hosnia, his shirt was soaked through and he couldn’t seem to shake the feeling that his hands were dirty, despite there being little on them. No matter how he tried to keep it styled, his hair was falling into his eyes, a disordered mess. He was resigned to not even trying to use the pomade tomorrow.

He was trudging along behind Kylo, the muscles of his legs aching from a day of high-stepping over roots and other obstacles on the jungle floor. They hadn’t come across another Hosnian ruin after the first, but Hux was sure there were more to be seen. Of course, they couldn’t venture too far from the river, which would guide them to the Temple of Souls. Hux had been eyeing the water for the past hour, hoping he could duck into it to wash off before they lay down to sleep for the night.

As they came into a small kind of clearing, where the ground was not completely littered with ferns and tangled with tree roots, Kylo stopped. “We should camp here,” he said. “It’s getting too dark to go much farther today.”

Hux didn’t bother to hold back his sigh of relief as he fell back against the trunk of a tree; it seemed the only thing that could keep him on his feet at this point.

Kylo, his face shadowed by the brim of his hat—save for his prominent nose—turned to Hux. “You did good, Professor. Didn’t complain all day and you made it here. I couldn’t have done better myself.”

Despite himself, Hux’s pride swelled. “Perhaps I’m made of sterner stuff than you expected.” Or that he himself had expected.

Kylo chuckled, taking the canteen hanging from the side of his pack and unscrewing the top. He took a deep drink, a rivulet of water running out of the corner of his mouth and down his chin. There was a shadow of stubble there and up along his jaw. Hux likely had the same, though red-gold rather than dark. If they were to kiss, they would scrape each other raw. As soon as the thought crossed his mind, Hux was chastising himself. This was not the place for those kind of imaginings—even if he had undeniably enjoyed Kylo’s mouth just the night before.

“Are we going to make a fire?” he asked.

“Not tonight,” Kylo replied. “We’ve got bread and jerky. We’ll make do with that.” He offered Hux the canteen, which Hux declined. Setting it down by a rock, Kylo unshouldered his pack and dropped it at his feet. He was carrying the majority of the food and began to unpack it as Hux looked on.

Hux shrugged his own pack off, rolling his stiff shoulders. “Is the water clean enough to wash up in at this part of the river?”

Kylo, his head still bent over his pack, said, “Sure. Just watch out for anything stopping by to get a drink. You don’t need to be attacked.”

“No,” Hux muttered, trying not to let the nerves get the better of him. More clearly: “Right then. I’ll just be a few minutes.”

He didn’t have any proper soap, but he hoped the water would be refreshing enough. The bank of the river wasn’t far away, and here the current was moving lazily. Further upstream, by the mountain behind the Temple of Souls, it would be rushing over rocks—but it was calm enough to dip into at this bend.

Hux started with his boots, unlacing and pulling them off. His socks he peeled off and dunked into the water for a poor man’s washing. He hung them over a tree branch as he began to unbutton his shirt. The air was still stagnant and humid, but it felt good to have his chest bare. His trousers and underwear came next, slung over the same branch as his socks. And then he was wading into the water. It wasn’t cool, but it was wet, and that was all that mattered right now.

The mud under his feet was thick and squelched between his toes, but he went in up to his waist and splashed water over his chest, scrubbing at his underarms and dampening his face and hair. “Oh, to hell with it,” he said before he dunked himself completely. It felt divine. He lingered, rubbing his sore arms and shoulders, massaging the muscles of his thighs under the water. A week ago, he never would have expected to find contentment in a wild river on Hosnia.

He was enjoying himself idly when, on a whim, he glanced up at the bank. Seated under a tree just a few paces away was Kylo: barefoot, without his hat, and chewing at a hunk of bread. Hux wanted immediately to sink into the water and hide, but instead he barked an indignant, “What exactly do you think you’re doing?”

“Just appreciating the view,” Kylo replied with utter nonchalance, as if he wasn’t watching Hux bathe like the uncouth wretch he was.

“Well, get away,” Hux said, “you...you _voyeur_.”

Kylo grinned without the smallest sign of shame. “Would you rather I joined you?” he asked. Popping the last piece of bread into his mouth, he untucked his shirt and pulled it easily over his head.

“Absolutely not!” Hux hissed, but Kylo was already on his way down to the bank. Thankfully, he was making no moves to remove his trousers. Instead, he waded right into the water in them, the fabric turning dark and clinging to his legs. Hux wanted to back away, but he dared not go farther out into the deeper river. He watched as Kylo bent at the waist and dunked his head into the water, throwing his wet hair back in a spray, like a dog shaking itself dry.

“You are absolutely insufferable,” Hux said when he had smoothed his hair back and was looking at him again. “And you’ve soaked the only pair of trousers you brought. They’ll be damp all of tomorrow.” He sniffed. “Intolerable.”

Kylo moved toward him, his hands just disturbing the surface of the water. “I’ve had worse. I just figured you’d have gone running the second I tried to strip down. Not like it’s anything you haven’t seen.”

Hux pursed his lips with disgust that he had to admit to himself was half-feigned. Kylo’s large ears were sticking out from his slicked-back hair, and it should have been unappealing, but Hux could only think of nibbling at the shells just to see what kind of reaction it would elicit. And Kylo’s wet chest was enticing as ever, ghostly white in the fading evening light.

“I’d thank you to keep your distance,” Hux said. “And to turn your back. I’m finished here.”

“So shy, Professor,” said Kylo with that now-familiar rapacious look. “You’ve got nothing to hide from me. I’ve touched almost all of you.”

Hux choked out, “ _Almost_.”

One of Kylo’s brows rose suggestively. “Is that a challenge?”

Hux floundered for a reply. It wasn’t intended to be, but it also easily could have been. How was it that Kylo managed to fluster him so effectively? At last, he managed to say, “I made myself clear last night: what we did was a mistake that will not happen again.” Incensed, he made to stalk past Kylo, as much as it was possible to angrily wade through the water.

Kylo moved as fast a viper, snatching him around the waist. “You’ve very wrong, Hux. Don’t think I don’t see the way you _still_ look at me, ‘mistake’ or not.”

Hux set his hands on Kylo’s chest, ostensibly to push away, but once there, he found he was stuck to the spot. Kylo gave a self-satisfied smile as soon as he realized it.

“Why the pretense?” Kylo asked, staid in spite of his expression. “We both know what we want.”

“Do we?” Hux said. “My only goal on this journey is to recover the Image of Shunra. Everything else is irrelevant.”

Kylo’s fingers, where they rested at the small of Hux’s back under the water, spread wide, drawing Hux in. “We’ll get it, I promise. This won’t affect that. This is just because we can.”

Hux scoffed. “I am not going to bed with you again just because we _can_. I am not so unscrupulous as that, even if you are.”

“There’s no bed here,” Kylo said, moving in so close that his lips nearly touched Hux’s. To Hux’s shame, he didn’t pull back to avoid him. “So we wouldn’t be ‘going to bed’ together. But there are plenty of things we can still do.”

Hux could certainly conjecture a few options, but he said, “We’re filthy and exhausted. This is not the place or the time.”

“ _You’re_ exhausted, Professor,” said Kylo. “I’m fresh. I can take care of you.” He set his free hand against Hux’s neck. “Let me.”

The temptation was wearing away at Hux’s resolve. Pleasure could distract from his tiredness and help him sleep—not that he was going to have trouble with that, he imagined. Reluctantly, he asked, “What do you propose?”

Kylo’s eyes darkened. “You know I’m good with my mouth.”

Hux shook his head. “You might not object to river water, but I do. I won’t allow that.”

“Fine,” said Kylo. He eased his hand down Hux’s chest to his belly and then lower, until he cupped Hux’s cock. “I can use my hands. I’m good at that, too.”

Hux twitched in his grip, interest plain. Kylo felt it and took a firmer hold of him, beginning to coax him to hardness. “You plan to do this right here?” Hux asked, though it wasn’t exactly an objection.

“We can take it to shore, if you want to,” Kylo said, voice lower and more sultry than before. “Do you?”

“Yes,” Hux replied. He wasn’t sure his sore legs would hold him up if Kylo pleasured him in the water.

Kylo ducked his head to nip at Hux’s neck. “Okay. Put your legs around me.”

Hux balked. “What?”

Releasing his cock, Kylo took hold of his thighs. “Never been carried before?” he asked.

“I—no,” Hux replied. “I’m not a small man.”

Kylo hummed. “But you’re a skinny one. Legs around my waist, Professor. Arms around my neck. I promise I won’t drop you.”

Hux didn’t completely trust him, but he lifted one leg and then the other, wrapping them around Kylo’s hips. Kylo gripped him firmly by the buttocks and hoisted him up without trouble. He bore him out of the water, across the muddy bank, and onto a patch of ferns. Still holding Hux, he sank down onto his knees.

“Lie back,” he said as he guided Hux down onto the soft ground.

Hux eased himself onto his back, gradually releasing his hold on Kylo. When he was lying down, his legs were splayed, Kylo kneeling between them. Kylo was devouring him with his gaze, leaving Hux feeling both exposed and desired. His body hadn’t been appreciated so openly in years. His erection, which had abated during his precarious journey in Kylo’s arms, sprang back to life. Kylo saw it right away and reached for him, his big hand wrapping around Hux’s cock.

They were both still damp and the evaporating water cooled Hux considerably. Kylo’s hair was curling at the ends as it dried, and Hux had the oddest compulsion to wrap a lock around his finger and see if it would curl further. He stayed it, instead keeping his hands at his sides and letting Kylo take the lead.

“Green and red,” Kylo said. He trailed a hand down Hux’s belly. “And creamy white. You look damn good like this, Hux.”

Hux couldn’t help but be affected when Kylo used his proper name rather than calling him ‘Professor.’ Kylo kept his eyes on Hux, continuing to touch him until he could cup Hux’s testicles, rolling them with his long fingers. Hux sighed, eyes closing as he rested his head on the ground. The ferns were crushed beneath him, releasing an earthy scent like fresh-cut grass.

Kylo continued to stroke his cock, albeit slowly. He eased his other hand down, though, until his fingers brushed Hux’s entrance. He wanted to be shocked, but instead he groaned and tipped his hips up to give Kylo better access. He could barely believe he had flipped to wanting so easily; it was indecent. And yet he was putting himself on offer as easily as any wanton.

Kylo took his fingers away for a moment, but only to put them into his mouth and wet them. A string of glistening saliva hung between the tip of his forefinger and his tongue at he took them from his mouth. It broke seconds later a small starburst. Kylo held Hux’s gaze as he put the fingers back at Hux’s entrance, this time circling the muscle once before gently beginning to push one into him. Hux’s mouth fell open as Kylo eased it into the first knuckle and crooked it to stroke the softness inside of him. It had been years since he had had anyone’s fingers up his ass than his own and it felt exquisite.

“More,” he said. “Deeper.”

Kylo was breathing heavily through his mouth, watching his hand on Hux’s cock while he slid his finger farther into him, up to the second knuckle and then the third, as far as he could go. He probed carefully around, searching.

“Up a little,” Hux said to guide him. “Just to the left. No, my left. _There_.”

Kylo pressed against the spot, sending shocks of sensation up Hux’s spine. He took a firmer grip of Hux’s cock and began to stroke him in earnest, determinedly rubbing at the place inside him that had him gasping. Hux had to fight not to writhe under his hands, instead holding still to keep the pressure in the right places. It was absolutely sordid: him lying open and naked on the dirty ground while Kylo fingered him, but he didn’t care a whit as he felt the beginnings of climax.

“God,” Kylo murmured. “You are gorgeous.”

Hux thrilled under the praise, opening his eyes to see Kylo properly. He seemed mesmerized, looking Hux up and down with a kind of awe Hux had never seen on his face before. Hux wanted to kiss him, but he was too far away and asking him to bend down would force him contort himself awkwardly. Hux contented himself with watching Kylo watch him, until their eyes met and held. It was a piercing look that betrayed just how rapt Hux was, how incredible he felt.

“That’s so good, Kylo,” he said. “It won’t be long now.”

“Take as long as you need,” said Kylo. “I want you to come as hard as you can.”

Hux should have been offended by the lewdness, but it only pushed him further toward release. Kylo was still paying the utmost attention to his prostate while he stroked him off, and Hux was starting to shake. If Kylo wanted to wring a powerful orgasm from him, he was well on his way.

“Don’t stop,” Hux ordered. “Stay right there. T-There. Oh, _God_!” His back arched up off the ferns as he hit his peak, his spend arching across his belly and chest, hot on his skin. Kylo worked his cock and his ass through it, until Hux was babbling, “Enough, enough. Please.”

Kylo stilled, carefully withdrawing his finger and setting Hux’s cock gently on his lower belly. Before Hux could even catch his breath, Kylo was leaning over him and kissing him hungrily. He was getting himself sticky with Hux’s come, but he didn’t seem to care, and Hux could feel how hard he was against his leg. Hux reached down for his fly, clumsily releasing the buttons and then fumbling with the ties of his undergarments all while Kylo was sweeping the inside of his mouth with his tongue.

“Take these off,” Hux said, slurred against Kylo’s lips.

Kylo gave his lower lip a last bite before he sat up and struggled to get his wet trousers down his thighs. Hux stopped him before he got up to remove them all the way, instead taking hold of his heavy cock and starting to stroke him insistently. Hux rose, closing his legs around Kylo’s knees and putting his free arm around his neck, until they were bound together. He continued to fist Kylo’s cock with intention. Kylo dropped his head onto Hux’s shoulder, letting out little grunts of pleasure.

“So close,” he mumbled into Hux’s neck. “Feels so good. _Hux_.”

Whereas the night before, Hux was affronted when Kylo came on him, he was prepared for it this time; they had already debased themselves so much that it hardly mattered. It was mere seconds before Kylo went taut, sinking his teeth into the meat of Hux’s shoulder, as he climaxed. His come spattered Hux’s chest as Hux slowed his strokes to coax it all from him. Hux yelped in surprise as Kylo collapsed onto him, landing him hard back on the ground and lying atop him. He was _heavy_.

“Kylo, I can barely breathe,” Hux said, strained.

He didn’t move right away, saying, “Just give me one minute. I can’t even think right now.”

Hux allowed it, concentrating on his difficult inhales while he lightly petted Kylo’s back. They were a mess and would have to wash off again right away.

Certainly after longer than a minute, Kylo managed to stir. He pushed himself up onto his hands, his hair hanging around his face as he looked down at Hux. “Wow,” he said.

“Yes,” Hux agreed. “Shall we clean up?”

“Okay,” Kylo sighed. He got first to his knees, tugging his trousers up, and then to his feet. The knees of his trousers were stained with the juice of the ferns and the soil, evidence of their escapades which would linger into the next day. He stripped out of them quickly, though, dropping them on the ground before offering his hand to Hux to help him up. Playfully, he tugged Hux into his arms and kissed him soundly. Hux didn’t protest.

In the river, they washed the fresh sweat and spend from their bodies, saying very little. When they were finished, they returned to their camp, where Kylo had laid out their bedrolls. Hux flopped down onto his, still naked. Kylo, also bare, brought him a helping of tough jerky and bread. He picked at it while Kylo put on his dry pair of underwear—the only thing he wore for the moment.

“Do we have another thirty miles to go tomorrow?” Hux asked between bites.

“Easily,” Kylo replied. “You going to be all right?”

Hux nodded. “I’ll tolerate it to get to the temple.”

Kylo smiled softly, and Hux was struck with unwelcome tenderness. He turned back to his meagre dinner before he thought too much about it.

“Once you’re finished, you should get straight to sleep,” Kylo said as he lay down on his bedroll, pulling the thin blanket over himself.

“I will,” said Hux. “Goodnight.”

“Sleep well, Professor.”

Kylo was already snoring by the time Hux got under his own blanket. The sounds of the nighttime jungle were soothing tonight, rather than frightening. Hux thought he might be able to manage this kind of trek after all.

 

* * *

 

The next day brought the same sticky heat, despite the shade. Kylo remained in the lead of their duo, though the jungle had thinned some, which suggested people had once lived here and kept it tidy. It had been hundreds of years, but perhaps some of the trail retained its former neatness. Hux didn’t have to watch his feet as closely, instead paying attention to the trees and creatures around him. He saw small, colorful birds flitting amongst the vines and tree branches, perhaps even another large snake coiling itself around a limb. He preferred not to think of that.

He was just adjusting the fall of his pack on his shoulders when he felt the soil shift and give under him. Crying out, he dropped several feet into the ground. His knees gave under him and he fell hard on his tailbone. Above him was the green canopy, but all around him were earthy walls.

“Hux!” he heard from the surface. Kylo appeared at the edge of the hole Hux had tumbled into, leaning carefully over to see what had become of him. “Are you hurt?”

Hux did a quick assessment of his condition. He was covered in dirt and his tailbone ached, but otherwise he wasn’t injured. “I’m all right,” he called up. “Nothing serious. How am I supposed to get out of here?”

Some roots—broken and bent—stuck out from the dirty walls, but their hold in the soil seemed tenuous at best. Clods of dirt were still raining down in a brown patter at the sides of the sinkhole, leaving the steep walls too unstable to try to climb; he would just slide back down on the loose dirt.

From above a length of leather slithered down, making Hux start for fear it was something dangerous. But it was only Kylo’s bullwhip, the one he kept on his belt. “Grab it,” Kylo said, “and hang on.”

Hux took hold of the leather, wrapping it around his forearm for stability. “Are you sure you can do this?” he called up to Kylo.

“We’ll find out” was the reply. He was already out of sight and the whip was pulled taut at the lip of the sinkhole, digging just slightly into the loose soil. Hux clung to it, making as much of an effort as he could to scramble up the wall—ineffective as it was. He slipped and slid as Kylo fought to pull him up; Hux could hear him cursing a steady stream even from his place in the hole.

“Climb if you can!” Kylo bellowed.

Hux dug the toes of his boots into the dirt, searching for somewhat stable roots to support his weight and take some of the burden off of Kylo. It was a struggle and Hux was grunting with the effort that seemed, at that moment, perfectly fruitless, but Kylo continued to pull and Hux began to rise. Scrabbling at the ground, he managed to pull himself out from the hole and collapse, heart hammering and limbs shaking, at its edge.

Immediately, Kylo was at his side, grabbing him under the arms and dragging him on his front away from the pit. Hux was dead weight as Kylo stripped his pack from him and flipped him over onto his back. Kylo made a circle with his hands around Hux’s face. “Are you okay? Hux, talk to me.”

“I’m fine,” Hux croaked. “Fine.”

“Thank God,” Kylo said. He swooped down and kissed Hux hard on the mouth.

Hux was, at once, too tired to fight him and uninterested in doing so. His hands were black with dirt and would make a mess of him, but, uncaring, he wrapped his arms around Kylo’s neck. Kylo slid down onto the jungle floor next to him, letting himself be held as they deepened their kisses. Hux chalked the pleasure of it up to nerves, but Kylo tasted good, and he was so very solid.

When, at last, they parted, Kylo was pink in the cheeks—oddly credulous. It caught Hux off guard and he felt a welling fondness. Pushing that away, he said, lamely, “Thank you for pulling me out.”

“What was I going to do?” Kylo asked wryly. “Just leave you down there?”

Hux managed a laugh. “No, I suppose not. But I’m grateful all the same.” Glancing down at his now-dirt-covered front, he made a distressed sound. “I’m a disaster.”

Kylo made a weak effort at dusting some of the earth away. “You still look good to me, Professor.”

There was the fondness again, this time more difficult to suppress. Kylo was difficult and sometimes mannerless, but there was also a great deal of kindness in him that Hux couldn’t help but admire.

“Let me up, will you?” Hux said, squirming from beside him. Kylo relinquished his hold on him and Hux got stiffly to his feet. His clothing was utterly ruined, but he had no recourse save for the extra shirt he had brought, and he wanted to save that for the journey back to the mainland. Resigned, he brushed his front, ridding himself of the worst of the filth.

Kylo pulled a battered handkerchief from his pocket and, opening the canteen, poured water over it. He held the sopping thing out to Hux. “You should wash your face.”

Hux took it and buried his face in it, scrubbing mercilessly. When he pulled it away, it was streaked with more dirt. He sighed. “I’ll clean this in the river.”

“Don’t worry too much about it,” said Kylo. “It wasn’t my grandfather’s or anything. Here, give it back.” When Hux had given it to him, he squeezed out the excess water and then shoved it back into his pocket. “You all right to keep going? We can wash up tonight when we stop.”

Hux agreed, shouldering his pack again. “Let’s press on.” He gave the sinkhole a last disdainful look before falling into step behind Kylo.

 

* * *

 

“Oh, God, _yes_ ,” Hux was babbling several hours later as he and Kylo were sprawled out on Kylo’s bedroll, both of them naked from a bath in the river. Hux had two fingers inside himself as Kylo sucked his cock, braced on his left hand while he stroked himself with his right. It was messy and barbaric, and Hux was caught completely up in the fervor of it.

He grabbed hold of Kylo’s hair and pulled, making Kylo groan around him. It pushed him over the edge, spilling into Kylo’s mouth. He swallowed neatly, his hand on himself never once faltering. It wasn’t long before he, too, peaked. His spend hit the ground nearby.

Kylo lay down on the too-small bedroll next to Hux, slinging one arm over Hux’s middle. Hux remained on his back, though he brought his legs together to give Kylo slightly more space. He grumbled only a little when Kylo threw his right leg over both of his, pressing his damp body against him. Hux was worn out from the day, and yet had somehow found the energy to get up to these untoward activities once again. He should have been ashamed of himself—sprawled out nude on the jungle floor while a man in the university’s employ made love to him; if it could be put so delicately.

“Mm,” Kylo said, voice muffled in Hux’s shoulder. “We should put on some clothes before we get eaten alive by bugs. The minute you stop moving—hey!”

Hux shoved him unceremoniously away, going straight for his clothes. The outer layers were still wet—and barely much cleaner even after being scrubbed in the river—but he had kept his undershirt and drawers dry enough to put on. He went about it hurriedly before seeing to his own bedroll—unrolling it on the ground. He was cautious to test the earth first, wary of another sinkhole. Kylo eyed him all the while, propped up on his elbow and unabashedly bare.

“You make no sense to me, Professor,” he said. “One minute you’re naked as a jaybird and begging me for more and the next you’re tucked up to your chin in your blankets, hiding like a virgin.”

“I am most assuredly not that,” Hux grumbled, though he was safely covered with the thin blanket that would keep out of the worst of the insects.

“You’ve proven that, yes,” said Kylo. “But you act like you regret it the second we’re done.” A fine line appeared between his brows. “I’m not doing anything you don’t like...am I?”

That answer was simple: no. Everything Kylo had done to him since their first night together had been enthusiastically received. He was an excellent lover and Hux really did owe him more than scampering away as soon as he had taken his pleasure.

“You’re not,” Hux sighed. “The fault lies with me. I’m not all that good with other people. I’m...prickly and self-concerned. I’m not a thoughtful partner.” He gestured vaguely between Kylo’s legs. “As evidenced by the fact that I’ve not serviced you as you have me.”

“I don’t ‘service’ anyone,” Kylo said firmly. “I’m doing what I like. And if I want something, I’ll usually just ask.”

Hux said, head turned toward him, “You don’t want more from me, then?”

Kylo pushed his hair back from his face. “Of course I do. I want your mouth on as many parts of me as you’re willing to taste. I want more than my fingers inside you, or yours in _me_ if that’s how you like it. I want to scrub you clean and shave you and dump you right into a real bed.” He pinned Hux with a look. “That sound like something you’d be interested in?”

Smooth, shaven cheeks and soft sheets sounded heavenly as compared to the hard ground on which Hux was presently lying. And there was also the pleasant thought of having Kylo with him in the deep bathtub in his house on Starkiller Place. It would be a tight fit considering the size of him and Hux’s own height, but proximity wouldn’t be a problem. Afterwards, they could make their way to Hux’s bed and thoroughly ravish each other. Hux was happy to have Kylo inside him first, and perhaps in the second round they could turn about. Hux was always pleased to have a lover who would do both.

“Let’s consider that when the time comes,” he said. “For now, we should sleep. We have another trek tomorrow.”

Kylo rolled onto his back, stretching out his long legs and arched feet, his arms over his head. “Only about fifteen miles. We should be at the temple by midday. That should give us enough time to get through it before nightfall, right?”

“I can’t say for certain,” Hux replied. He hadn’t looked over his journal and its list of obstacles since they had gotten to the island. He knew them well, after all, but when actually presented with the challenge of getting through them, he feared he wouldn’t be up to the task. “But I hope so.”

“That’s all right,” Kylo said. “We can always camp by the temple if we get out later. There’s no rush back to the mainland once we have the idol.”

            Hux couldn’t yet envision himself holding the golden Image of Shunra; it would be wholly surreal to have in his possession the object he had spent so many years studying. Quietly, he said, “Thank you for this, Kylo. I would never have made it here without you. I wouldn’t have dreamed of it.”

Kylo had thrown a blanket over his nakedness, and he rolled onto his side to get a good look at Hux. “Well, that’s why I was hired, Professor.”

Disappointment. Of course this was just business for Kylo. He had no vested interest in the expedition other than the payment he would receive from Dean Snoke. His dalliance with Hux was of little consequence, either. Hux was convenient and had made himself eagerly available for Kylo to enjoy. Hux wasn’t precisely sure why he disliked that notion so much; in fact, he was apprehensive to dwell on it as more than just a passing thought.

“Right,” he said flatly. “Goodnight, then.” He turned away, showing Kylo his back, but he could still feel Kylo watching him.

When, eventually, Kylo spoke, it was almost glumly. “Goodnight, Professor.”

Hux remained awake for a time, while the last of the light faded into blackness. He stared out into the trees, whose forms he could no longer make out. There came a rustle of leaves as a nocturnal creature jumped from one branch to another, and then the songs of tree frogs calling for mates. A breeze moved the trees in the thick canopy above, and for a moment a shaft of moonlight shone down onto the jungle floor. It illuminated a spot of ground just a few feet from Hux’s bedroll and the light reflected off a pair of yellow eyes in the distance.

Hux nearly cried out—it could be a predator—but he managed to keep from making a sound that might draw the creature. Instead, he fumbled for his torch, which lay beside his bedroll for the occasion when he had to get up to relieve himself during the night. He managed to click the button and yellow light filled the immediate area. With trembling hands, Hux aimed  the beam at the place where he had seen the eyes.

There, in the crook of a tree root, was a ginger cat no bigger than the average housecat. She was staring straight at Hux, seated on her haunches with her small paws planted on the ground in front of her. The tip of her tail twitched lazily. This was not a dangerous creature, Hux decided, though how, he wasn’t completely certain. In silence and in the beam of the torch, they watched each other, neither moving.

The legend of Shunra described her as a fierce red-gold huntress, but that little cats like this one—exactly this color, with luminous green eyes—were her legacy. Was this one sent to observe him, then, and judge if he was a threat? Maybe this was a test of his intentions. He dared not speak for risk of waking Kylo, but he also realized how strange it was to talk to a cat as one might a person. For lack of anything else to do, he extended his hand to the cat, rubbing his thumb at the pads of his forefingers: an invitation.

The cat made no move and Hux nearly pulled his arm back, but then she padded toward him until she could sniff at his fingers. Her nose was pink and wet, cooler than the air. Her haughtiness suggested she would stalk off with her tail held high, however she blinked once before bumping her head against Hux’s hand. Her fur was silky as she arched her back to allow him to pet her.

She only stayed for a few seconds more. Over her feline shoulder, she shot him a last look before scampering into the jungle. Hux turned off the torch, lying back down on his bedroll. It was maybe only his imagination, but he might just have been approved of by some lingering spirit of Shunra.

 

* * *

 

The Temple of Souls wasn’t so different from a Mesopotamian ziggurat, only significantly smaller and hidden amongst the towering trees. As Hux and Kylo approached it that next afternoon, it materialized as if from the jungle itself—a living part of it, stone made green by moss and time. The peak just brushed the canopy and the base sprawled thousands of square feet. A single doorway was cut into the easternmost wall, intricate symbols in ancient Hosnian carved around it. Hux wanted to sketch it all, but he knew they didn’t have time to linger. There had been no sign of the archeologists from Coruscant, but it was possible they were in the vicinity. Hux had to get to the Image first, or his funding would be pulled. And he had to admit that he wanted to be the first man in hundreds of years to see and touch it. His fingers veritably tingled with desire.

Kylo was investigating the door, his torch in his right hand. “I think we just have to find a mechanism to open it,” he said. He prodded at the carvings, looking for the hidden switch.

Hux took his journal from the breast pocket of his shirt and flipped it open to the first page of his temple notes. The accounts of how to enter the temple were limited, but there had been a crude drawing of a sunburst above a carving of Shunra. Hux shouldered Kylo out of the way and began his search for it. Central to the images on the doorframe, it wasn’t hard to find. The button was difficult to press, but it gave under his insistent hand. Dust and stale air raced out from seal of the door, sending Kylo reeling back with a hand over his face.

“Thanks for the warning, Professor,” he groused between coughs.

Hux was too focused on the stone door swinging in on its hinges to bother with an apology. Inside it was black, but in the scant sunlight by the entrance, Hux could see a long, straight passage into the belly of the ziggurat. He turned on his torch and shone it into the depths. This was the cradle of his work, the home of every paper he had ever written about the Hosnian pantheon. Stepping inside was a crossing into the known and the unknown all at once. He might never have stood here before, but he knew it better than anyone in the modern world.

“You ready?” Kylo asked from behind him, just to his left.

“As I’ll ever be,” Hux replied. “Let’s get this done.”

A damp chill pervaded the inside of the temple, likely because of the cistern that was supposed to take up its whole second level. Hux didn’t care for the idea that there were several thousand gallons of water just above their heads, but if it had held since the time of the ancient Hosnians, it would surely hold now.

The floor of the passageway was gritty with dirt and pea gravel, and Hux’s and Kylo’s footfalls brought the crackling sound of small stones rubbing together. It echoed into the long corridor. To Hux’s immense relief, there were no low-hanging cobwebs or other jungle growth to slither across his head and shoulders as they went into the bowels of the temple. It wasn’t, after all, a dingy cave, but a carefully preserved holy site. The air was stagnant to the point that Hux could almost imagine the wisps of it roiling as his presence disturbed it.

For once, Kylo came behind him, letting him and his expertise take the lead. This was his realm, where the wilds outside were Kylo’s. Hux went slowly, with careful steps, until they reached the terminus of the passageway. Here was another stone door, this one decorated with the intricate carvings of Shunra’s ascent from the Eye of the World. Around her were those men who had prayed to summon help to fight to scourge of rats upon the island, prostrate and awed. Under the carving was a simple inscription in ancient Hosnian: _Pass, pilgrim, if you recite the battles of the Fierce One._

So, Hux’s notes hadn’t been exactly correct. Initially he had thought the first challenge—the maze—required the seeker to know the origin story of Shunra. There were so many variations that he had been afraid they would be unable to solve it, but the battles of Shunra were only three and varied much less. The relief was immense.

“What now, Professor?” Kylo asked.

Hux examined the door for the opening mechanism and found it to be a plain lever to the right of the door. He pulled it stiffly, but it eventually cooperated and moved into its lower position. The door swung open and inside Hux could already see two divergent paths: one left and one right. At the center of the wall was another inscription, this time with no image to match; that would have been a clue they weren’t permitted.

“We go in,” Hux said, “and we follow the story of Shunra’s most impressive battles against Soloban the rat’s lieutenants.”

“All right,” said Kylo. “I’m on your heels.”

The beginning clue described how Shunra had traveled from the Eye of the World to the nearest human village to be told of their plight. What was the name of the village, was the posed question. There were two choices on the wall: Alera for the leftmost path and Bekta for the right. That was easy enough; Hux knew it was Bekta.

“This way,” he told Kylo.

Kylo came along behind him and Hux explained the choice he had made, the legends he had spent all of his twenties studying. They were forced through several left-hand turns as they wended their way through the stone-walled maze before they came to the next clue.

In Hosnian: _When the Fierce One defended Bekta and its people, how many vermin did she destroy to protect us?_

It was a small skirmish to begin with, Hux remembered. She had only fought thirteen of the massive rats, though with little help from the villagers. They hadn’t been taught how to defend themselves yet, or even fashioned weapons. Thirteen was the answer that would take him and Kylo to the left. Off they went, on to find the next clue.

Hux glanced only occasionally at his watch to see how long they had been working their way through the maze, but it was quickly creeping toward an hour. They had covered Shunra’s second battle by now, in which she and the men—now battle-trained—had attacked a rat stronghold by the spring of the river. The clues asked how many warriors there were in the battle (forty), who was the strongest amongst the men and thereby Shunra’s first acolyte (a man of twenty-one called Mertah), what Mertah’s weapon was (a poisoned spear), and, finally, what was the spear tipped with. It was, of course, one of Shunra’s shed claws.

Kylo said very little during their journey, listening only to Hux translate the clues and explain the answers. If he had any doubt that Hux was leading them on the correct path, he didn’t voice it.

When it came to the last battle, Hux took them right, left, and right again. He answered that Shunra slew Soloban’s lieutenant, Stakor, that they fought for five grueling hours, and that Shunra was wounded in the shoulder, tail, and back left paw. The final question about the battle was: _How, then, did the Fierce One end Stakor?_ Hux knew the tale. She had taken him by the neck between her teeth and shaken him until his neck snapped. At that final right turn, the maze pathway ended in a blank wall. Hux’s heart stuttered for fear he had failed and they were lost with little recourse, but, as he shone the beam of his torch at the edge of the wall, he spotted a seam; it was an unmarked door. The only challenge was how to open it.

“What do you think?” Kylo said. “Any handle or button to press this time?”

Hux felt along the creases of the stone, searching for anything to engage to open the door. It was barely perceptible, but with his fingertips he found a depression near the top—where he was nearly too short to reach. He dug his forefinger into it, heard a distinctive _click_ , and withdrew his hand just in time to avoid being caught as the door began to rise up into the stonework above. Beyond the threshold was a staircase.

It took them steeply up and up, beyond a second level to what was presumably a third. In this next trial, they would have to cross a floor of brittle bricks. One misstep and they would be dropped into the cistern below—to drown; there was no way out of the cistern. Hux had to wonder at its use, if there wasn’t a way to get the water out, but perhaps it was designed only to do away with the unworthy pilgrims.

When the stairs finally delivered them to a flat level, they found it was illuminated by skylights cut into the ceiling. They were too narrow to allow a man to pass through them and escape, but enough to provide a way to see the many tiles on the floor, which marked the path Hux and Kylo would have to take to get to the other side.

“These are the minor deities in the Hosnian pantheon,” Hux explained, indicating the carved names on the bricks at their feet. “Some come from the days before Shunra and other from after, when her acolytes passed through the Eye of the World to follow her into the spirit realm.”

“Was that man Mertah one of them?” Kylo asked.

Hux smiled, pleased at his keen memory. “Yes.” He pointed to a brick about halfway across the narrow chamber. “There is his name.”

The light of Kylo’s torch joined Hux’s on the brick. “So, we’ve got to follow the right path, or we’re dead, yeah?”

“Correct,” Hux replied, thankfully without a fearful tremor in his voice. Training his torch on the first few bricks, he took a tentative step. The floor thankfully held.

He announced the names of the deities as he made slow progress across the room. Only once did he make a mistake. The brick under his right foot shuddered and crumbled, sending most of his leg through the the hole. The broken pieces of brick splashed into the deep water below.

Kylo’s quick reflexes were his saving grace; he snatched Hux around the waist and heaved him back up onto the safety of the previous brick. Hux wrapped his arms around Kylo’s neck, clinging until he had his pulse back under control.

 “Close one, Professor,” Kylo said as he held Hux firmly to him. “You sure you’ve got this?”

Hux managed a feeble nod. “Do we have any choice?” he asked.

Kylo gave him a peck on the lips. “No, we really don’t. Just be careful.”

Proceeding, Hux picked his way across the room. When he reached the solid opposite side, he could finally breathe again. Kylo joined him shortly after, giving him a sounder kiss this time. Hux was childishly pleased with that brand of recognition for his good work. Kylo noticed and grinned at him, cupping the back of his head and pressing their foreheads together.

“Good job, Hux,” he said. “Well done. What’s next?”

Hux took a step back. He consulted his journal to stall for time, but he already knew the answer: the Wall of Thorns, a sheer face at least two storeys high dotted with fiercely curved hooks that were both handholds and hazards. If a climber fell even a few feet, he risked being skewered on the lower hooks. With trepidation, Hux recounted this for Kylo.

“Sounds like fun,” said Kylo wryly. “Shall we, then?”

Through the next door was an empty chamber, the walls rising up higher and higher—looming. It, too, was lit by skylights; they provided just enough light to see the wicked hooks on the far wall. Hux shuddered as he tucked his journal back into his pocket; he wouldn’t need it for reference here.

With measured steps, he and Kylo approached the wall. Hooks were affixed low enough to step up onto them, though they varied in height. Kylo found one he favored and put his weight onto it; it didn’t budge. Peering up, he reached for a higher hook and began to pull himself onto it. Hux silently ascended behind him, tracing his steps—knowing they were safe. Slowly, they climbed. Hux’s arms and back began to ache from pulling himself up onto the next handhold. He had to be careful around the sharpened, rusty tips of the hooks. By the time they reached the top, his palms would be red with the rust residue.

Halfway up, the encountered the remains of another pilgrim, this just a skeleton with tattered clothes impaled on a hook. The bones were ghastly and macabre. Hux wondered how long it had been here in this unfortunately tomb.

When Kylo found the first loose hook, it broke out of the stone of the wall and went clattering down to the floor below. Kylo reeled, nearly falling backwards, but he latched onto a nearby hook, hanging with his toes barely touching the hook on which he had stood moments before.

“Are you all right?” Hux asked, his blood pounding in his ears and making his voice sound far away.

“Yeah,” Kylo ground out. He had to lift his left knee almost to his chin to find another foothold and grunted as he hauled himself up. “Be careful here,” he said, as if Hux didn’t already know it.

Hux sometimes did stretches and basic calisthenics to keep himself limber, but his strength nearly failed him as he struggled to get up to the appropriate hook. Relying on blind desperation, he managed it.

The top of the wall was in sight, and Hux didn’t dare look down to see how far they had come. There was a ledge just beyond the highest hooks onto which he would collapse when they were through this ordeal. Kylo curled his fingers around the lip of it and pulled himself up and over. Hux could hear him scrambling around on the floor, but then he appeared again at the edge. He held out his hand to Hux.

“Come on, Professor,” he said. “You’re almost there.”

Hux forced his body to give its all as he surged up to grab Kylo’s forearm, holding tight. Kylo helped guide him up to safety. They fell into a heap together on the chilly stone, Kylo holding the back of Hux’s head as he embraced him.

“We did it,” Kylo said. “We made it to the top.”

Hux rested his cheek against his shoulder, but spoke with gravity. “We have yet to get through the final challenge. It may be the most difficult.”

Kylo sighed. “Of course.”

They rose on shaky legs and turned on their torches once more. The corridor narrowed from where they stood, like a funnel. Hux shuffled toward it before recovering his dignity and lengthening his stride.

The room at the far end was laid out exactly as Hux’s notes had described it: long and narrow, with twelve levers on each side, as if mirrored. The skylight above lit them with a grayish, watery light. Above each lever was a verse from the Chant of Shunra, which had been lost for centuries by the time foreign explorers visited Hosnia. Even the priests who had still worshipped in the temple had not been to its summit in their lifetimes.

Gently, Hux traced his fingertips over the nearest verse. The dialect was even older than those he knew, and hard to make out. It would be a miracle if they made it through this chamber and into the place where the Image was housed.

“What do you think?” Kylo asked. He had his hands planted firmly on his hips, the meat of one resting on the coils of his bullwhip.

“I’m not even sure where to begin,” Hux replied. “I barely know these words and I certainly have never seen them put in order.” He let the trepidation settle in his stomach. “And there might be repercussions if we fail at pulling the levers in the correct order—deadly repercussions.”

“You did warn me of that,” Kylo said. “I’m ready for the worst, Professor.”

Hux turned to him, appreciating the fine figure he cut in his hat and leather jacket and tall boots. He had taken this job knowing it would put him in mortal danger, but it would be an injustice for him to lose his life for Hux’s research funding.

“We don’t have to do this,” Hux said. “I can skip my sabbatical. I can even take a position at another university. Kylo, I can’t ask you to put your life in jeopardy for something as trivial as—”

Kylo took Hux by the shoulders and shook him once, lightly. “It’s not trivial, Hux. This is your life’s work. I’m going to get you into that room to hold that idol.”

Hux took hold of his wrists and guided his arms around his neck. “I will owe you a great deal more than what Snoke is paying you for this,” he said as he kissed him.

Kylo went into the kiss, nipping at Hux’s lips until he opened his mouth for his tongue. They stayed there, just wrapped up in each other, for a few minutes.

“I’ll find a way for you to pay me back, then,” said Kylo when they had parted. “But let’s get this done first, okay?” He stepped away and turned Hux to face the first inscription. “Go on, Professor.”

Hux raised his torch to study the inscription, struggling to make it out. He proceeded to all the others, too, examining the ancient writing for any clues as to what the order of the verses might be. Some smacked of an invocation, which suggested they belonged at the beginning, and one or two seemed to fit a conclusion. What baffled him was what lay in between.

Kylo was patient and quiet as Hux worked, standing at the center of the room, barely moving. Even his torch was off, though he still held it in his left hand.

“All right,” Hux said at last. “I’m going to try it.”

He started at _Oh light, come forth from the Eye to burn the scourge_ , pulling down the lever with an ominous click. He went around the room to the other verses, praying to a god he barely believed in that he wasn’t wrong. When, finally, he pulled the last lever, the room seemed to be full despite the stillness. Then there came a small hissing sound, which Hux hoped was the door opening.

“Get down!” Kylo cried, diving onto his stomach.

Hux went, too, pressing himself against the floor. Above them, projectiles flew from small holes in the walls. When they struck nothing, they rained down on the flagstones. Kylo gestured for Hux to stay prone as he crept on his belly over to where one of the projectiles—a wooden dart with a deadly pointed end—lay. He licked the tip and spat.

“Poison,” he said.

Hux deflated. He had failed and it would have gotten them killed without Kylo’s quick thinking. “I don’t think I can do this,” he said, resting his brow against the floor.

“Don’t give up now,” Kylo said. He crouched beside Hux and touched his back. “There can only be so many traps for wrong answers, right?”

Hux honestly didn’t know. This place was sacred enough to have a peril for every misstep. “I’ll try another combination,” he said as he forced himself to get up.

He did it wrong again, and this time two massive axes swung from the ceiling to slice anyone who wasn’t flat on his belly. He was shaking with fear at what might come next as he tried for a third time. As he pulled the final lever, he threw himself on the ground again, Kylo joining him. However, instead of a deadly trap, they heard the sliding of stone on stone. Hux craned his neck to see the door at the far end of the room standing open.

“Christ alive!” he cried. “I did it!” He shot to his feet and sprinted through the door, as if afraid it would close before he could get to it.

Inside, the room was dimmer and small. A few ruined columns lay around the floor, but immediately his eyes tracked to the center, where there was a glint of gold in the scant light. He shone his torch upon it and there—by God, _there_ —was a little cat made of pure gold, with emerald eyes, and claws of precious gems: the Image of Shunra.

He nearly fell to his knees in front of it, but this wasn’t his deity. It was precious to him, though not sacred.

Kylo stepped up next to him. “It’s beautiful.”

 “It is,” said Hux.

“You going to touch it?”

Hux swallowed. “I suppose I shall.” He extended his hand to set it on the idol’s smooth, golden back. It was the size of a housecat, sitting with its front paws in front of it and tail curved up lithely. It was exactly like the ginger cat that had come to visit Hux the night before, and he was struck. With care, he lifted it up in both hands and cradled it there.

“Is it everything you imagined?” Kylo asked.

Hux nodded. “And more.” The gold warmed to the touch and the gems gleamed; it was the most stunning sight in Hux’s memory.

Kylo wore a knapsack over his shoulder, which he held open. “I can carry it back, or I can give this to you.”

Hux wanted to hoard the Image for himself, but didn’t want to appear as greedy as he was. And he trusted Kylo. “You have it,” he said as he tucked the cat into the bag. Kylo flipped it closed, tying the fastenings.

“It’s going to be hell getting out of here, isn’t it?” Kylo said.

Hux laughed sorrowfully. “Yes, I’m afraid so, but we’d best not dawdle. One never knows when your cousin and her cronies might make their presence known.”

“Right,” Kylo grumbled. “You ready to go? Don’t want to look around?”

Hux had already committed the Chant of Shunra to memory. It would make a stunning chapter in his new monograph. “Let’s just go.”

The journey back down the Wall of Thorns was slow, but they made it. They went through the rest of the temple’s traps and back out through the maze. The sky was the blue-black of twilight when they passed through the door back into the jungle. Hux hadn’t expected that he would be glad for the humidity and hissing tree leaves, but he was. At last, they could start their journey home.

“Stop right there!”

Hux froze, looking frantically around for who had spoken. Quite suddenly, six figures materialized from the trees, all of them in black and looking murderous.

“What’s going on, gentlemen?” Kylo asked, steady despite being outnumbered. “Can we help you with something?”

“Give us the Image,” one man snarled. “We know you have it. And we’ll have it for the Resistance.”

“The what?” Hux asked.

“The Resistance,” Kylo replied. “A band of thieves who keep relics like the Image out of museums and in the hands of private collectors.” He was scowling, slowly uncoiling the bullwhip. “Think again about getting your hands on the Image, you bastards.”

Guns were drawn and trained on him and Hux. Kylo’s hand stilled. Against one gunman, he might have had a chance at disarming him with the bullwhip, but against six, they had no chance. Hux despaired. After all this, only to lose the Image.

“Hand it over, Ren,” spat the man.

Kylo glanced at Hux. “I’m so sorry,” he said. He lifted the knapsack over his shoulder and handed it to the Resistance thug. Hux ached to see it go after so short a time.

The thug swung the bag over his own shoulder before cocking his gun. “Kill them,” he said to the others.

Kylo dashed over and grabbed Hux’s arm, swinging the bullwhip with the other. It snapped against a man’s face, making him scream and drop his gun. The others opened fire, but Kylo and Hux were already running to the trees, their only hope at cover. Bullets followed them, striking the nearby tree trunks, but thankfully neither of them. They could hear the Resistance men following them and Hux was gasping with terror. Kylo dragged him along.

“There’s a cave up ahead,” Kylo said, winded. “We can hide there. Just keep running, Professor.”

Hux willed himself not to flag and charged on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Katie Arts](http://katiesghosts.tumblr.com/) drew our Hux and Kylo [in the Hosnian ruins contending with the snake](http://gefionne.tumblr.com/post/169826375130/katiesghosts-i-could-use-some-help-here-hux).
> 
> I commissioned the wonderful [elviscl](http://elviscl.tumblr.com/) to draw Hux and Kylo [discovering the Image of Shunra](http://gefionne.tumblr.com/post/176703430960/at-last-i-can-post-this-beautiful-commission-of).


	5. Chapter 5

The frantic dash through the jungle had Hux’s heart beating nearly out of his chest. His breath came in violent gasps as Kylo pulled him along. He stumbled over high tree roots, once falling into Kylo and landing them both flat on the ground. From behind them, they could hear the shouts of the Resistance thugs, and were soon on their feet again, scrambling, boots slipping in the loose soil.

“This way,” Kylo hissed with a yank on Hux’s arm strong enough to wrench it from the socket.

They ran toward an outcropping of rock, but Hux saw nothing of the cave Kylo had spoken of. But he watched in stertorous wonder as Kylo fell to his knees and began throwing stones aside, gradually revealing a small opening into blackness beyond.

“Get in,” Kylo said. “Fast!”

Hux dropped onto his belly and crawled inside the cave. The darkness swallowed him up, but he kept crawling until there was space for Kylo to follow him. The scuffling of their bodies in the dirt stopped as they both lay still, Hux terrified of being discovered here, where there was no way out.

Beyond the opening, shouts and the sound of footfalls in the undergrowth grew louder. “Where the hell did they go?” a man demanded.

“They can’t have gotten far,” said another. “Come on.”

Their voices faded and Hux dropped his head onto the pillow of his folded arms, the high of panic and physical exertion beginning to subside and leaving him utterly spent. He remained unmoving, though, for a few long minutes, until Kylo stirred.

“I think they’re gone,” Kylo said. As he moved, he groaned. “Oh, hell.”

“What’s wrong?” Hux asked.

“Nothing,” Kylo replied. “I’m fine.”

Hux felt blindly in front of himself until he laid a hand on some part of Kylo—his leg, he thought. “Are you hurt?”

Kylo sighed. “It’s just a graze, I think. Bullet didn’t get in.”

“You’re _shot_?” Hux said, dismayed and too loud.

“Be quiet,” Kylo snapped. “I told you I’m fine.”

Hux fell silent, but he didn’t let go of Kylo’s leg. At a loss for anything else to do, he gently rubbed his palm over the coarse material of his trousers. Kylo was tense, but gradually began to relax under the touch. How long they lay there, Hux didn’t know, but he was calm again, strangely comforted, too, by his hand on Kylo.

At last, Kylo said, “Okay, we’re safe. If they haven’t found us by now, they’re long gone.” He pushed himself away from Hux and, after a moment, more light came into the cave as he shifted the rest of the stones out of the entrance.

“Did you prepare this?” asked Hux, blinking against the light.

“I figured we might need it,” Kylo replied. “Can’t be too careful.”

Hux’s gratitude was immense, but he didn’t voice it. Instead, he said, “What now?”

Kylo flopped onto his back. He tentatively touched his upper left arm and Hux winced as he drew a bloody hand away.

“Oh my God,” Hux said. “We have to tend to that. Do you have any bandages, a light?”

“We can start a fire,” Kylo said, wincing as he sat up to lean against the cave wall. He was slouched to keep his head from hitting the roof. “I’ll go get some wood.”

“Don’t you _dare_ move,” Hux said sharply. “I’ll get it. Stay still.”

He inched past Kylo, creeping over him until he could squeeze out into the darkening jungle. He had thankfully brought his torch, but he realized their packs—clothes and food—had been left by the entrance to the temple. Going back for them, he assumed, would be far too dangerous. It was going to take them a good two days to get back to the island’s shore, and they would be lucky if they could forage for food without poisoning themselves.

Hux made quick work of finding kindling and branches for a fire, careful not to stray too far from their hiding place. With arms full, he carried it all back to the cave, shoving the wood through before following. Kylo was still sitting the dark, but in the light of Hux’s torch, Hux could see that he had removed his leather jacket. The left sleeve of his shirt was red with blood, already drying. Thankfully, the worst of the bleeding must have stopped.

“Can you hold this?” Hux asked, offering the torch.

Kylo took it with an unsteady right hand, shining it onto the ground by the entrance to the cave, where Hux began to pile the branches and mossy kindling. Hux was halfway through building a little teepee of wood when he realized he didn’t have any matches.

“My lighter’s in my jacket pocket,” Kylo said, with uncanny intuition.

Hux fumbled around the lining of the jacket until he found a little silver lighter. He could just make out the letters B.S. engraved on its front. _Ben Solo_. This had come from his previous life—a gift, perhaps. Flicking up the cover, Hux ignited the flame and held it to the kindling. It caught quickly, the small dry sticks burning at the undersides of the larger branches.

“That’s good, Professor,” said Kylo. “Just let it catch.”

Hux sat back on his haunches, turning to look at him. “We need to clean your wound. You don’t want an infection out here. If you have some iodine in your pack, I can go back for it.”

Kylo shook his head. “No. The Resistance might been looking for us there. I’ll be all right if I just wash it.” He gestured to the canteen he had taken from over his chest. “It would be better if it was hot, but it’ll have to do.”

The pain was visible in his face as he lifted his arms to unbutton his shirt. Hux reached for it, saying, “Here, let me,” but Kylo slapped his hand away.

“I don’t need your help,” he groused, fumbling with the buttons, barely able to get them undone with his shaking fingers.

“For God’s sake, Kylo,” Hux said, latching onto his wrist and wrenching it away from his middle. “You’re hurt. Just let me—”

“Ow!” Kylo exclaimed, pulling back with a wince.

Hux scowled at him, annoyed with his defiance. “Well, what do you want me to do, then, if you won’t suffer my help?”

Kylo, his hair hanging over his eyes, managed to get the last button undone and started to shrug his shirt over his shoulders. He hissed as it brushed the wound on his upper arm. The blood around it wasn’t fresh, but there was no doubt it hurt.

“I’ll get the water,” said Hux. He took the canteen and set it down next to Kylo, knowing any effort to aid him would be brushed off.

Kylo took his ruined shirt and poured water onto it until it was soaked. Then he raised it to his arm and squeezed it, spilling water over the wound. He groaned, muscles constricting, as pinkened water slid down his skin. Again and again he did it, until the dried blood was washed away. It would have to be bandaged, but they had no supplies for that. Grabbing the hem of his untucked shirt, Hux tore a broad strip of the fabric. Kylo looked up at him.

“Stay still,” Hux said sternly as he crept over on his knees. He wrapped the fabric around Kylo’s bicep once, twice, and then tied it off. Pleased with his work, he patted the knot.

“Ouch! Goddammit!” Kylo cried.

“It can’t be _that_ bad,” Hux said.

Kylo glared. “Ever been shot, Professor?”

Hux pursed his lips. “Shut up and lie down. You should rest.” Taking Kylo by the shoulders, he tried to guide him down onto the sandy floor of the cave.

“That _hurts_ ,” Kylo snarled as Hux leaned over him.

Exasperated, Hux demanded, “Well, where _doesn’t_ it hurt?”

Kylo seemed to contemplate this angrily for a few seconds, but then held up the tip of his elbow. “Here,” he said.

Hux eyed the unblemished skin there, skeptical. He laid his fingertips against it, though, rubbing the bone with his thumb. Kylo was watching him, the scowl on his face having faded away. On a whim, Hux leaned in and pressed a brief kiss to the elbow. Kylo’s eyes went wide. Hux made to move back, but Kylo pointed to crook of his neck, where it met the right shoulder.

“Here, too,” he said.

Hux almost scolded him. It wasn’t hard to discern what Kylo was playing at, and this was hardly the time, but he found himself ducking his head to land a peck in the appointed place.

“Here,” said Kylo, indicating his right eye.

Hux placed a hand next to Kylo’s head to steady himself as he moved in to brush his lips over the well of the eye. His nose touched Kylo’s when he drew away. He was ready to end the game, but then Kylo brought his fingertip to his mouth.

“Here,” he said.

Hux didn’t bother to hesitate. He kissed Kylo gently. Kylo made a small sound, his right hand coming to curl around Hux’s wrist. Hux was careful about it, but he kissed Kylo again and again: full on the lips and then at the corners of his mouth, his stubbled cheeks. In time, the fingers at his wrist relaxed and Kylo’s breathing evened out. Hux moved away and saw that he was sleeping. Hux picked up his jacket and laid it over his bare chest.

Hux took a place by the fire, glad for the warmth despite the still-high jungle temperature. The flames lit the inside of the cave, red-gold banishing the shadows. Hux sipped a little water from the canteen, but otherwise just sat and stared into the fire.

They had come so far and faced all the trials of the ancient Hosnians only to lose the Image of Shunra. Disappointment didn’t begin to describe what Hux was feeling; it bordered strongly on despair. If the Resistance really sold precious artifacts to private collectors, Hux would not only never have his sabbatical, but the Image would disappear again, hidden even more from him than it had been at the top of the Temple of Souls.

It was so beautiful, shaped so gracefully by artisans long dead. Hux hadn’t even had a chance to sketch it. What he wouldn’t have given for a single photograph. He pulled his journal from his breast pocket, opening it to the pages on the temple and the Image. Years of work was laid out there in painstaking detail—everything around which his life had revolved for more than a decade. He couldn’t read the finest bits of his handwriting in the scant firelight, but he knew the words by heart.

He held it out then, just at the edge of the flames. He had already lost what he had come here for, and it seemed, perhaps, that his time as the preeminent Hosnian scholar was over. After all, the researchers from Coruscant University were likely to soon eclipse him with their new interpretations. At least it he burned the journal now, they wouldn’t be able to read it and steal his research. Maybe there was one article left in him, but without the Image it seemed pointless.

In passing, he remembered that once Kylo had kept journals of his adventures and his work, from the time he was young. But he had stopped keeping them and Hux lamented the loss. Kylo was sleeping soundly nearby, his face illuminated by the fire. Hux looked hard at him, admiring the high jawline but soft chin, long, narrow nose. Pulling his journal away from the fire, Hux opened it to a clean page. He took a pencil and began to sketch.

It didn’t take long for Kylo’s face to take shape. Though his eyes were closed now, Hux drew them open, as if he was looking directly at him from the page. He wasn’t smiling, but Hux added his hat. Hux looked down at his work, pleased with the quick portrait. He slowly closed the journal and rapped his knuckles on the cover, a thick thump on the leather. And then he tucked it back into his pocket.

Hux didn’t want to disturb Kylo’s rest, but he went to his side and lay down next to him. Hux pillowed his head on Kylo’s uninjured right arm and put his own left arm around Kylo’s waist. Difficult as Kylo was, so too was he a good man, and he had saved Hux’s life more than once. Even without the Image, Hux couldn’t say that this expedition had been wholly fruitless. He had his days with Kylo.

 

* * *

 

The morning came, humid and with watery sunlight filtering into the cave onto the remains of the fire, long since burned out. Hux woke when Kylo stirred, finding himself still tucked against his side. Kylo managed to get a look at him, chin down, without moving much.

“Hi,” Kylo said softly. His right arm was pinned under Hux, but he moved his left—not without stiffness—and brushed the disordered hair that had fallen over Hux’s brow away from his eyes. “You’re a nice thing to wake up to.”

Hux didn’t want to admit aloud how pleasant it was for him to be next to Kylo like this, but it was with reluctance that he shifted away, sitting up and out of Kylo’s reach. “Are you feeling all right?” he asked.

Kylo replied, “Like I’ve been shot, but I guess it could be worse.” He pushed himself up to sit cross-legged and scrubbed a hand over his face. “We need to get going. It’s a long trip back to the mainland.”

“We’ve no supplies,” Hux said. “And with your wound—”

“We’ve got no other choice, Professor,” said Kylo. “We’re going to be hungry and dirty by the time we get there, but we’ll survive.” A glance at the entrance to the cave. “Let’s just hope we don’t run into the Resistance again. I doubt we’ll get away a second time.”

Hux chewed his lower lip worriedly. “We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it,” he said. “Let’s just get up and out of here for now, shall we?”

They crawled on their bellies out into the jungle, Hux stiff and sore from the cramped night in the cave. Kylo stretched, too, but as he moved his injured arm, he winced. Hux wanted to get him back to Brazil as soon as possible; he didn’t want him getting ill. Untreated, he could end up with blood poisoning, or worse. Not that he was in a position to complain, but Hux’s stomach was already clenching from hunger as they began their slow trek back along the river, the way they had come.

Hours of long, sluggish progress passed in silence. They stopped only to refill their canteen at the river, both of them drinking to keep their bellies full of something. The lukewarm water sloshed around Hux’s gut, making him a bit queasy, but he continued on Kylo’s heels without complaint. He was so used to only the twittering of jungle birds and the crash of leaves as creatures leapt through the canopy that he thought he was imagining the voices when he first heard them. When Kylo hissed, “Quiet,” though, he realized they were real. Hux ducked behind a tree, freezing there while Kylo scouted to see who was ahead. If it was the Resistance, they were done for.

“I’ll be damned,” Kylo said clearly a few moments later. “If it isn’t _you_ all.”

“Ben?” Hux recognized Dr. Rey Skywalker’s voice immediately.

 “Well, hello,” said Poe Dameron in his bright tone. “Fancy meeting you here. Is there a Dr. Hux lurking around, too?”

Hux stepped out from his hiding place to find all three researchers from Coruscant gathered around an unlit campfire. They were as travel-worn as Hux and Kylo were, though they had their packs of supplies nearby. As Hux saw that Finn was holding a loaf of bread, his mouth began to water. Finn noticed his ravenous look and held out the loaf.

“Why don’t you come and join us?” he said. “We were just sitting down to dinner.”

Kylo seemed skeptical, eyeing them darkly, but went to Rey’s side and crouched down. She produced a handful of jerky, which he snatched up and ripped into right away. Hux followed, taking up a place next to Finn, who tore off a chunk of the bread and handed it to him. Unmannerly as it was, Hux took a sizable bite out of it and sighed happily. It was tough and almost flavorless, but he didn’t care a whit.

Nobody said much as he and Kylo ate and Poe lit the fire, but tension rose and rose by the minute, until Hux couldn’t take it anymore.

“Did you get to the Temple of Souls?” he asked in a rush. “Did you get through the maze and the other challenges?”

Rey replied coldly, “We made it, but the Image was gone.” She cast a cutting glance at both of them. “But you don’t have it. Unless you’re hiding it in some orifice I can’t see.”

“How dare you!” Hux exclaimed.

Kylo soothed him with a gesture from across the fire. “We _had_ it, but it was stolen.”

“By whom?” Finn asked.

“The Resistance.”

Poe’s full brows knit. “How did they even find you? You didn’t tell anyone about searching for it, did you?”

“Of course not,” Hux said sharply. “We didn’t even intend to tell _you_.” He rubbed his face in an attempt to calm himself. “I apologize. This isn’t your fault. I shouldn’t snap at you.”

Rey huffed. “Now that’s something I didn’t ever expect to hear: an apology from Dr. Armitage Hux.”

“Don’t be an ass, Rey,” Kylo scolded. “It’s not what we need right now.”

“He’s right,” said Finn. “As much as it might pain us to admit, we’re on the same side here. We all want to see the Image where it belongs.”

“In a museum,” both Hux and Kylo said together. Hux chuckled and Kylo grinned at him.

Rey narrowed her eyes, appraising them both. “I know that look on you, Ben Solo,” she said, “and I can’t believe it. You took up with _him_?”

 Finn’s surprise lit up his face, and Poe rubbed his chin with a knowing kind of smile. Hux found himself staring at the ground, fighting a flush in his cheeks.

“It’s none of your damn business, Rey,” Kylo growled. “Get your nose out of it.”

“You’re pretty good at making bad decisions,” she said. “Leaving your teaching job, running around the world like somebody’s errand boy, now _this_.”

Hux looked up, scowling at her. “That’s quite enough, thank you. As Kylo said, it’s none of your affair.”

“You’re right,” said Poe. “We’ll drop it. Right, Rey?”

“Fine,” she groused, picking up a stick and poking at the fire.

Kylo finished his jerky without another word, chewing determinedly and staring into the middle distance. Hux sat cross-legged on the hard ground, the emptiness in his stomach finally abated. Unwilling to sit in complete quiet for the rest of the evening, he asked, “What did you think of the temple? Was it not remarkable?”

“It was _everything_ ,” Rey said dreamily.

She launched into an eager recounting of their journey through to the room where Hux and Kylo had found the Image. At least in their shared awe, they could find common ground. Hux listened, occasionally offering his own insights. He drew out his journal after a time to compare notes and sketches. Finn was the artist among them and had done some stunning renderings of the various rooms in the temple.

“May I have copies of these?” Hux asked. “When they’re made into slides, perhaps.”

“Sure,” Finn replied, “if I can have some of your notes.”

Hux still felt a twinge of possessiveness, but nodded. “Certainly.”

He flipped through to the last page of the journal, where he had drawn the portrait of Kylo. While he had talked, Kylo had moved around behind him and settled at his back, far too close for propriety. Thankfully, nobody had commented on it.

“Is that me?” Kylo asked, reaching around Hux to keep him from snapping the journal closed in embarrassment.

“Yes,” Hux replied. “I did it while you were sleeping last night.”

Kylo rested his thumb at the edge of the page, his chin on Hux’s shoulder to see better. “You made me look better than I do.”

“Oh, come off it,” Hux countered. “You’re quite handsome.”

“ _God_ ,” Rey said, pulling a face. “ _Do not_ do that where I can hear it. Disgusting.”

Finn, who was seated next to her, put an arm around her waist. “Hey, we’re not any better.”

Her expression softened as she turned to him. With dainty precision, she gave him a peck on the lips. He nestled her closer, and she went willingly.

“Don’t I just feel left out,” Poe teased.

Finn grinned and grabbed him around the shoulders, tugging him against his side as Poe laughed. He planted a kiss on Finn’s cheek and, to Hux’s shock, Finn lowered his eyes demurely. Rey wasn’t offended in the least. In fact, she was smiling at both of them.

_Well, then_ , Hux thought.

Kylo, unperturbed, wrapped his legs around Hux’s and pulled him against his chest. Hux couldn’t help the bashfulness, but set his hands over Kylo’s where they rested at his waist. Kylo made a low humming sound of approval.

“We have to get the Image back somehow,” Rey said. “We can’t let the Resistance just sell it off to someone and lose it forever.”

“I know,” said Hux, “but how will we even be able to track them? They could already be gone and the Image packed for a buyer.” Kylo rubbed his thumb against Hux’s lower belly, through the part of his shirt he had torn off to bandage Kylo’s arm, but it did nothing to comfort him. “I don’t know what we can do, even if we work together.”

“Well, even if they’ve got a half-day’s head start on us,” Kylo said, “they can’t get far into Brazil before we catch up with them.”

“Are you sure about that?” Poe asked. “They could have a whole route out of there planned to the minute. We would never be able to stop them.”

Hux closed his eyes, miserable.

“We have to try, at least,” Kylo replied. “Mine and Hux’s route got us to the temple faster, so it can get us back to shore quickly enough. If we move fast, we might be able to intercept the Resistance.”

Finn pursed his lips. “It’s the best shot we have, I guess. We’ll follow you, then, B—Kylo.”

“Okay,” Kylo said. “Then let’s get some shuteye so we can get going right at daybreak.”

Hux watched enviously as Finn, Rey, and Poe laid out bedrolls. Without one of his own, he lay back against the ground and folded his hands under his head as a pillow.

Kylo spoke softly: “Here.” He put his jacket around Hux’s shoulders and lay down next to him. He patted his shoulder in invitation and Hux gratefully put his head into the crook of his shoulder. Kylo wrapped an arm around him, sighing. “Sleep well, Professor.”

 

* * *

 

The team from Coruscant were far more talkative than Kylo and Hux had been on their journey inland. It seemed they didn’t keep any thoughts to themselves, instead just voicing inane things that crossed their minds. Hux was subjected to discussions of favorite foods, conferences past, politics on campus (which he did enjoy the gossip about), and some of Rey and young Ben Solo’s escapades during their schooling. Kylo ignored most of her attempts to get a rise out of him, but there were a couple of tales she played down that he elaborated on. Hux found those the most interesting.

Kylo had been a very different kind of youth than the man he now was, though it was clear his restlessness of spirit had always been an overriding quality. Hux might have gotten along well with him when he was a student. He had been focused and driven, demonstrably the best student in his class. Although maybe Hux would have been competitive and jealous instead. He was glad that they had met under these very circumstances rather than any others.

They walked all day with few breaks, camped that night—Hux slept once again on Kylo’s chest, being held tightly—and rose early again to finish the last leg of their trip. By the time the beach came into sight, Hux was immensely relieved. He stopped to pick up a handful of yellow sand, letting it run through his fingers.

A boat was already bobbing off the shore, having come that morning, as had been arranged. Hux wasn’t keen on the heaving of the waves again, but he focused on the horizon until the Brazilian coast came into sight. He had never been more pleased to see the tiny village of Tosche, where a warm meal, a proper bath, and a change of clothes awaited him.

“We should split up,” Kylo said to Rey, Finn, and Poe. “You three gather your own information about the Resistance and we’ll collect ours. We’ll meet tonight for dinner and decide what our next course of action should be.”

“See you at six o’clock,” said Rey, shoving past him and striding away with her husband and Poe trailing behind.

Hux caught sight of himself in a mirror at a vendor’s stall as they walked into town and nearly recoiled at his appearance. He was unshaven, his eyes sunken and cheeks hollow from few rations, and his clothes were wrinkled, dirt-smeared, and his shirt was torn and hanging limply untucked. He knew they needed to get going on their search for the Resistance immediately, but he couldn’t stay as he was for another day.

Kylo saw him looking at himself and set a hand at the small of his back. “Let’s get you something decent to wear.”

“Thank you,” Hux said, truly grateful.

They found a clothier not too far away, and while her selection was small, they were able to purchase new trousers, shirts, and undergarments for them both, with money Kylo spirited out from a hidden pocket in the lining of his jacket. They didn’t expect to let a room for the night, but Kylo negotiated in eloquent Portuguese for them to get access to a bathtub. The clean, hot water had never felt so exquisite as when Hux stripped out of his filthy clothes—he expected to just burn them after this—and slipped into it. Kylo had sent him in to wash up first, speaking more with the innkeeper, presumably about anyone who fit the description of the Resistance thugs.

Hux scrubbed himself until his skin was pink and then got out of the water to shave and comb his hair. He was just undoing his towel to get dressed when Kylo came into the room. Hux had no reason to be shy, but he hurriedly wrapped the towel back around his waist. “Do you not knock?” he asked, curt.

Kylo pulled off his shirt without ceremony and set to removing his boots. “We don’t have time to waste, Professor,” he said. “The innkeep said he saw some unfamiliar ruffians come through town this morning. They had a team of horses ready and took off right away, but at least he saw them. They went west, probably toward Tatooine City, where they could catch a plane out of here.”

He stripped out of his trousers and socks, leaving everything in the pile next to Hux’s discarded clothes. He groaned as he sank into the bathwater. “Damn, that’s good.”

“You need a proper bandage,” Hux said as he spotted the ratty fabric around Kylo’s upper arm. “That could be infected already.”

Kylo gestured lazily toward a small cloth bag hanging from the doorknob. Inside Hux found a bottle of tincture of iodine, a few squares of gauze, and rolled cloth bandage. He quickly gathered them up and went to Kylo, pulling a chair over to sit beside him in the tub.

“You ever done this before _Doctor_ Hux?” Kylo asked.

Hux had treated his share of scrapes as a child, but never a deeper wound. He didn’t bother to say that to Kylo, however, instead going straight for the dirty wrap and pulling the knot free. Kylo hissed through his teeth. The wound underneath was shallow but long, the edges of the torn skin pink. Fortunately, it didn’t seem the kind of worrisome angry red of infection.

“Let me just wash it,” Kylo said. He ducked his shoulder down so he could splash water over the wound, ridding it of the last dried flakes of blood. He brushed over it quickly with soap, but then presented his bicep again for Hux. “Go on, then.”

The bottle of iodine had a dropper, which Hux gently squeezed over the open cut. Kylo cursed and tensed.

“I’m sorry,” said Hux.

Kylo grunted. “I’m not a child. I can take it.”

Hux rolled his eyes as he wiped the excess tincture away from Kylo’s arm. “I never said you were. Let’s do this once more and then I’ll wrap it up, all right?”

They went through a motions a second time before Hux secured the bandage around his arm. “Anywhere else it hurts?” he said wryly.

Kylo smiled and lifted his face. “Right here.”

Hux gave him a kiss before rising and going to dress. He put his hair in order with the comb from the shaving kit they had bought, feeling better than he had since they set out on this journey. Eventually, he heard the splash and drip of water as Kylo got out of the bath. He turned and saw Kylo toweling his long limbs dry, his hair trickling rivulets down his chest and arms. He really was something to behold.

“Like what you see, Professor?” he teased, grinning one-sidedly.

Hux shrugged with feigned nonchalance. “It’s well enough.”

“Hmph,” Kylo grumbled as he came over and snaked an arm around Hux’s waist. “Wish we both would have fit in that tub. We could have gotten up to something.”

“Will you please behave yourself?” said Hux, though he didn’t mean it.

Kylo kissed him soundly before giving him a slap on the buttock and saying, “Out of the way of the mirror. I need to shave.”

When they were both dressed and fresh again, they made their way back out into the village to begin their search. Kylo led them first to the makeshift stalls next to the little hotel. Hux brightened immediately at the sight of the slight young man Davi, whose mules had gotten them here.

“Augusta!” Hux cried as he spotted the pretty-eyed mule he had ridden. Her long ears swiveled toward him and she wickered softly. He went right up and, taking hold of her halter, stroked her between the eyes. “How are you, old girl?”

“Look at her,” Davi laughed. “She is in love!” Hux stroked her forelock as Davi asked, “Did you find Shunra out there, Doctor?”

Hux tried not to openly mourn the loss of the Image and in so doing thought of the little ginger cat that had visited their campsite in the night. “I might just have,” he replied.

Davi grinned. “I knew you were going to. So, Mister Kylo, are we leaving today or tomorrow?”

Kylo adjusted the fall of his bullwhip on his hip. “I’ve got something to ask you first. You see anyone else going out with a guide today? Six or so men?”

“Sure, sure,” said Davi. “Abram took them with his horses. They paid well.” He winked. “But not as well as you, Mister Kylo.”

“When did they leave?” asked Hux.

“Around eleven in the morning, I think,” Davi replied. “They friends of yours?”

Kylo grumbled, “Not really. They have something of ours and we need to get it back.”

Davi nodded gravely, as if he understood the gravity of the situation. “Okay, Mister Kylo. I can tell you which way they went. They’d not be hard to track.”

“If they’ve gotten all the way to the city—” Hux started.

“No way, Doctor,” said Davi. “It’s two days’ ride, just like we did to get here. If they’re going all the way to Tatooine, they won’t be there until tomorrow earliest.”

Hux turned to Kylo, apprehensive. “What shall we do, then?”

“If Davi can track them,” he said, “we’ll pick up their trail first thing in the morning. But I have a feeling they’re not going all the way to Tatooine. The innkeep said they were talking about a camp somewhere outside the village.”

Hope ignited in Hux’s chest. If they weren’t so far ahead, there was a chance they could be found. “And you think he’s right?”

Kylo nodded. “I’d bet they’re less than ten miles away.” He sucked his teeth thoughtfully. “By that reckoning we could get to them tonight.”

“In the dark, Mister Kylo?” said Davi.

Hux also hesitated at that. The jungle was almost completely black after sundown, and perilous even just to walk through.

“We can catch them off guard if we go in the night,” Kylo said. “Gives us the advantage.”

“We’re still outnumbered,” Hux warned. “Even if we took the Skywalkers and Dameron. There’s at least one more of them, and I’d guess another two or three if they already had a camp waiting for them.”

“Well,” Kylo said, “even with those numbers, if we sneak in, we’ve got a better chance.”

Hux leaned on Augusta’s solid shoulder, playing with her black mane. “Is there going to be a fight?” he asked.

Kylo reached out and brushed a hand over Hux’s hair. He was startlingly tactile since their association had grown more _formal_ , but somehow Hux didn’t mind. “We’ll try to stay out of it if we can.”

“Hey, Doctor,” Davi said, puffing out his narrow chest, “Mister Kylo, I will go look for the camp, yes?”

“Davi,” Hux said, “you cannot put yourself in undue danger on our behalf.”

The boy waved him off. “No danger to me, Doctor. I’m quiet as a mouse, I swear. Nobody gonna see me.”

Kylo leaned in to speak to him in quick Portuguese. Davi replied in equally conspiratorial whispers, before Kylo offered his hand and the boy shook it.

“See you later, Doctor,” Davi said by way of parting as he scampered away.

“He can just leave like that?” Hux asked.

Kylo patted Augusta’s neck. “I told him we’d watch the mules until he gets back.” He went to a pack that lay nearby and produced a stiff-bristled brush and a curry comb. “You want to rub her down? I’m sure she’d appreciate it.”

Hux took the proffered grooming tools and set to currying the dust from Augusta’s soft coat, while Kylo sat down in the rickety chair Davi had vacated and, pulling his hat over his face, presumably went to sleep.

All three mules were shining with cleanliness by the time Davi reappeared. Hux had just been sitting on the ground across from Kylo, for once unconcerned about the dust on the seat of his new trousers, using the curry comb to clean the other brushes, as he had once done as a boy at the stables. Kylo perked up at Davi’s arrival and immediately went to confer with him. Hux waited for them to transition back to English.

Kylo’s expression was bright as he turned to him. “He’s found their camp. They’re only three miles outside of town.” He scoffed. “Confident bastards. Davi says there’s about ten people there. They have a few tents and some horses, but not enough to carry everyone. They’ll probably be walking back to Tatoonie City, if that’s where they’re going.”

“Did he see the Image?” Hux asked.

“No, Doctor,” Davi replied. “Must have been in one of the tents.” He frowned. “Shunra doesn’t like them, I don’t think. Bad energy there.”

Hux lifted his brows. “Are you Hosnian, Davi?”

The boy laughed. “It’s in my blood, Doctor, but I was born here in Brazil. The old stories didn’t die with the islanders, though.” Glancing up, he pointed toward the hotel. “The goddess is  looking out for you, Doctor.”

Hux followed the line of his finger and saw, to his utter amazement, a familiar ginger cat sitting primly by the side of the hotel. She lifted one of her dainty paws and licked it before swiping it over her ears. Hux didn’t miss it when she turned her eyes on him and blinked. Then she trotted, tail high, out of sight.

“Friend of yours?” Kylo asked.

Hux addressed Davi: “It can’t be the same cat I saw on Hosnia. Certainly not.”

Davi shrugged. “Maybe, maybe not, but I heard the captain of the boat say he had good luck on the trip back. A stowaway.”

Kylo said, “You mean that little cat got on a boat and sailed over here just to follow us?”

“Not you, Mister Kylo,” said Davi.

Hux rubbed his hands together, strangely comforted. He hoped he might see the little cat again.

“Well, we’d better get to dinner and tell Rey and the others about this,” Kylo said. To Davi, “You can tell me the way?”

“Of course, Mister Kylo.”

Kylo tousled his dark hair. “Thank you. We’ll be back in about an hour. Come on, Professor.”

Rey, Finn, and Poe already had a table at the café and were sipping from clay mugs. Hux and Kylo joined them, pulling up chairs that scraped across the gritty dirt under the awning where they sat.

“I really hope you two got something,” said Rey, “because nobody we talked to knows anything.”

“None of you speak Portuguese,” Kylo said, barely stifling his amusement.

Poe brandished a battered phrasebook, but shook his head. “We’re pretty hopeless. What did you find out?”

Kylo ran them through their plan to find the Resistance camp and take back the Image of Shunra. At the invocation of her name, Hux couldn’t help but cast a glance around for his ginger shadow, if that’s indeed what she was.

“That’s a risky plan, Ben,” Rey said around a mouthful of the food they had been served a few minutes before. “We’re going in blind. Maybe the Image isn’t even there anymore.”

“Do we have any other choice?” Kylo snapped, glaring at her.

“We’re with you,” said Finn. “The idol is too important to all of us not to try.”

Hux wasn’t certain about this arrangement, but Kylo was right that they had few other options. Their best chance of recovering the Image was if they all went along. However, he would have to find out how to end up with it. If he didn’t return it to Arkanis and the board, he would have no sabbatical.

“So,” Poe said, “when do we leave?”

Kylo gestured to his plate. “You done eating?”

Finn paid for their dinners and all of them, with full bellies, made their way to meet Davi and his mules. While the boy described the path to Kylo, Hux spoke softly to Augusta. If the trio from Coruscant found their kinship odd, they said nothing of it.

“Okay,” said Kylo at last. “You bunch have a flashlight or two?”

Finn and Rey produced theirs, and Kylo snatched one from her hands. He flashed her a grin while she huffed indignantly and set off toward the jungle’s edge.

Three miles would have been quite the distance to Hux just a few days ago, but now the time passed easily. Soon enough, he could hear muffled voices and see the glow of campfires in the distance. Kylo gathered the group at the edge of a clearing, in which they found the Resistance camp. As Davi had said, they had some tents set up, one far larger than the rest. Davi had guessed that that was there the Image was, but Hux nearly gasped aloud when he laid eyes on the slinky shape of the ginger cat once more. She was rubbing her arched back against the crooked pole of one of the smaller tents, and then she slipped inside.

“Here’s the plan,” said Kylo quietly. “Finn, Poe, and I are going to raise hell to draw their attention so Hux and Rey can get into the tents.” He pulled three long flares from the bag hanging across his chest, handing two of them to Poe and Finn. “We’ll go to the west and pull them there. Hux, you and Rey go in from the east, where it’s still dark. Can you do that?”

Hux nodded while Rey said, “Of course. Let’s just get this done.”

Kylo held up his flare. “Let’s go, boys,” he said as he moved into the darkness. Poe and Finn went, too, leaving Hux and Rey to stare at each other with animosity.

“You know I don’t like you,” she hissed, “but we’re doing this together, all right?”

“Certainly,” Hux said, though he had no intention of telling her he was bound for the tent the ginger cat had gone into.

A few moments later, shouts and bright red flashes of the flares erupted from the far side of the camp. The few men who had been lingering around the eastern edge ran to see what the ruckus was about. Hux didn’t hesitate; he crept into the camp and made straight for the appointed tent. Rey left him just outside of it, going her own way.

It was dark inside the tent and smelled of musty canvas, but Hux pulled his own torch from his belt and shone it around. The beam reflected off of the ginger cat’s luminous eyes. She was perched on a table next to a covered object, completely at ease. Tentatively, Hux offered his hand to her. This time, she moved right into it, bumping her head against his fingers. She was soft-furred and Hux could feel the vibrations of her purring.

“Thank you,” he whispered. She hopped down from the table and twined around Hux’s ankles while he peeked under the fabric covering what turned out to be—to his immense relief—the Image of Shunra. He bundled it back up in the cloth and tucked it under his arm, prepared to run back into the jungle before he was caught. Unfortunately, a dark shadow fell over the entrance to the tent as he approached it.

“Oi!” a man cried. “You bleeding thief!”

The thug reached out for Hux, either to grab him or strike him, but before he could get more than a step into the tent, a furious ball of fur launched up and clawed, hissing, at the thug’s face. He stumbled back, cursing and howling in pain, while Hux slipped past him and away.

Hux sprinted back up into the trees, running until he caught his toe on a root and landed flat on his front, knocking the wind out of him. He was still struggling to catch his breath when he heard footsteps pounding toward him. Gathering the Image to his chest, he got to his feet to face off with whoever was coming.

In the scant moonlight, he saw a hulking figure approach. He had no chance in an outright fight, but he stuck his foot out as the figure went by and the man went tumbling to the ground.

“Oh, hell,” he groaned.

“ _Kylo_?” Hux said, squinting down at him.

“Hux! Is that you?”

Stooping, Hux helped him to stand again. “It’s me. I have it.” He held the Image out for Kylo to touch, which he did, gently.

“Damn good job, Professor,” Kylo said.

“Where are the others?” Hux asked.

“Not far behind me, but we’ve got to get going. They can find the way themselves.”

Hux wasn’t so sure about that, but he allowed Kylo to latch onto his wrist and pull him along. These three miles were far longer and more tense, but when they reached Tosche again, Hux dared to relax.

“Hey, Mister Kylo, Doctor,” said Davi, materializing from the shadows. “Come with me. I’ve got a place for you to hide.”

He led them to a small shack not too far away, filled with hay for the mules and horses that came through the village. He ushered them inside, warned them to be silent, and shut and barred the door behind them. Hux was still clutching the Image, but Kylo came to him and guided him down to sit. He pried Hux’s fingers away from the Image and buried it in the loose hay.

“You all right?” he whispered in Hux’s ear.

“Yes,” Hux replied.

Kylo felt around blinding for his face, cupping each cheek. “We’ll stay here until daybreak, then we’re making for Tatooine City. Try to get some rest.” He planted a soft kiss on Hux’s brow before settling down beside him.

Hux lay back in the hay, feeling the sharp edges of the Image under his back.

 

* * *

 

There was a warm weight on Hux’s chest when he woke to sunlight coming through the slats of the shack’s walls. He thought at first it was Kylo, but then it began to purr. Looking down, he saw the little ginger cat curled up on him, her eyes half-closed sleepily.

“Hello there,” he murmured. The cat bumped her head against his chin and he laughed. “You’re a pretty thing, aren’t you?”

“I hoped you were talking to me, but no such luck.” Kylo was awake, too, eyeing Hux and the cat. “Wonder how she got in here.”

Hux stroked her fur. “She’s an all-powerful goddess. It’s the least of her abilities, I’m sure.”

The door creaked open, startling him and sending the cat scrambling away. Davi stood outside, grinning. “You ready to go?” he asked.

Augusta and the other mules were saddled already when they got to the hitching post. There was no sign of the trio from Coruscant. Davi answered before Hux could inquire: “Saw the others off earlier. Ingrim took them. They’ve got a few hours’ head start.”

Kylo clapped him on the shoulder. “Thank you, kid. You did great.” Taking the Image from Hux, he tucked it safely into one of his saddlebags. “I’d put it in yours, Professor, but it’s already full.” He tipped his head toward August’s hind end.

Hux was altogether too pleased to see the ginger cat’s head sticking up out of the open bag. She looked perfectly at home. “You want to come with us, do you?” he said, scratching her ears. “I’m going to have to call you something, and not your proper name.” He considered for a moment, then remembered one of the early Hosnian scholars. “Millicent. That’s what you’ll be.”

Kylo wrinkled his nose. “Really?”

“Yes,” said Hux. “It’s a noble name.” The cat purred again, and he took that for approval. “Off we go, then.” Kylo gave him a leg up onto Augusta’s back and they reined the mules along the narrow path they had traveled what seemed like months ago, but was less than a week.

 

* * *

 

A very perturbed Rey Skywalker was waiting to meet them at Maz’s hotel in Tatooine City two days later. “Let me see it,” she demanded.

“Not here,” said Hux. He brought her to the room he and Kylo would share and only in the privacy there revealed the glinting Image.

Rey touched it reverently. “Okay, Hux, because you found it, I’m willing to let you take it back to Arkanis, but make sure it goes on display where it can be seen. And I expect you to co-author an article about this.”

“I can accept that,” he said, offering his hand. She shook it, nodded curtly, and left the room.

Millicent had chosen to stay outside while Hux and Kylo went into the hotel, presumably to hunt for her own dinner. They bid Davi goodbye, Hux actually embracing the skinny boy. He also kissed Augusta’s cheek sorrowfully. When they got back inside, Maz fed them in the dining room before shooing them with a knowing look up to their lodgings. She pressed something into Kylo’s hand as they went, making him laugh. He thanked her as he followed Hux up the stairs again.

Hux was exhausted, but it was too early yet to sleep. Perhaps a shower was in order. However, before he could go the lavatory, Kylo came up to him and produced a small jar of something white and semi-solid.

“What in the world is that?” Hux asked.

“Coconut oil,” Kylo replied. He screwed the jar open and held it out for Hux to inspect. It smelled pleasant and was slippery on Hux’s forefinger and thumb when he rubbed it between them.

“What is it for?” he said.

Kylo caught Hux’s hand, examining his oil-slick forefinger. “Something to ease the way,” he said, low, before he took Hux’s finger into his mouth.

Hux’s eyes went wide as he watched Kylo suck at his finger. “You mean to say we’re going to use _that_ to...to…”

Kylo slid Hux’s hand away from his lips, saying, “Only if you want to, but I promise it works as well as olive oil or Vaseline.”

“Dear God,” Hux murmured, eyeing the little jar. He hadn’t had a man inside him in years and had certainly never used a cooking oil to _facilitate_ relations. Once again, he pondered just how barbaric Kylo was making him.

“So, Professor,” Kylo said, “do you want to, or not?”

Hux pulled his hand from Kylo’s grip and dropped it to the fly of his trousers. “I most assuredly do,” he said.

Kylo latched onto him with his free hand and pulled him in for a long kiss that quickly devolved into scrabbling at clothing and fighting to get buttons undone. The jar of coconut oil was set down on the bedside table so Kylo could pull his shirt over his head and stoop to get his boots off. Hux was already pulling one of his from his foot, precariously balancing on one leg. It was ungainly and inelegant, but it got them to where they needed to be: lying naked on the bed and touching as much of each other as they could get their hands on.

Kylo put Hux flat on his back and nuzzled down from his collarbone to his groin, where he buried his nose in the red hair between his legs. Thankfully, they were both clean this time. He pressed teasing kisses at the base of Hux’s cock, rubbing his thighs all the while. Hux groaned, his hands fisted in the thin bedspread, when Kylo ran his tongue up from the base of him to his tip, taking it into his mouth.

“You’re _good_ at that,” Hux mumbled. “Feels so wonderful.”

Kylo swallowed him deeper to suck him to full hardness and Hux nearly cried out, just managing to slap a hand over his mouth. Kylo bobbed his head diligently up and down, hollowing his cheeks and using his tongue on Hux’s underside.

“I’m not going to last if you do that for long,” Hux said. It had been a few days, after all, and Kylo was, as he had said in the jungle, very clever with his mouth.

Kylo popped off, red-lipped and dark-eyed. “How do you want to do this? I’m fine either way, but if you take me, I’ll finish you like this, first.”

Hux flushed, staring down his body at Kylo, where he lay between his legs. “I’ve done both,” he said, “but I, ah, prefer to receive, if that’s acceptable to you.”

“Absolutely,” said Kylo. He reached over to the table to retrieve the coconut oil, and he scooped out a generous helping. “You mind if I get you ready?”

Hux shook his head, his ability to speak gone for the present. Kylo grinned and guided one of Hux’s legs up onto his shoulder. Hux took his cue and put the other one up, too. Kylo’s attention went first to Hux’s entrance, where he spread the cool oil around with his fingertips. When he eased two in, they slid easily—much more so than they had in the jungle, with nothing but saliva to wet them. Hux let out a long sigh through his mouth, reveling in being filled. Kylo went back to his cock as he began to work his fingers in and out of Hux with insistent strokes, spreading them to stretch him.

Arching up, Hux pushed himself harder into Kylo’s mouth, actually making him gag. “Oh, I’m sorry,” Hux said. “I didn’t mean to— _oh_!” Kylo swallowed around him, with the tip of his cock at the very back of his throat. Surely it wasn’t comfortable, but it felt so incredible that Hux’s worry was washed away. Kylo was crooking his fingers at just the right place inside him, too, and the extra stimulation set him to trembling.

“Don’t stop,” he babbled. “That’s right. _There._ Oh, God, Kylo, _yes_.” He didn’t bother to stifle the cry as he climaxed, throwing his head back and pinching his eyes closed. Kylo slowed, but didn’t take his mouth away until Hux asked him to, and he left his fingers inside of him, gently prodding at Hux’s most sensitive places.

He kissed Hux’s thighs and up to his hips. “You feeling just right?” he asked.

“Mm, yes,” Hux murmured. “I’m ready for you.”

Kylo let out a soft breath that tickled Hux’s belly. “I’m still counting every lucky star I’ve got that you would say that to me, Hux.”

Hux, smiling with pleasure-drunkenness, caressed the shell of his ear and then his hair. “Come into me, Kylo.”

He didn’t have to be invited a third time. He took the coconut oil again, this time slicking his cock—a display Hux very much enjoyed as he lay on the bed with his legs splayed—and lined himself up with Hux. He wasn’t timid, but he didn’t rush as he pushed inside. Hux took him in greedily, moving his hips up to encourage him. Kylo wasn’t a small man and the stretch was intense, but Hux hadn’t felt better in a very long time.

Kylo lowered himself down to lie on Hux’s chest, though he kept most of his weight in his hands on the mattress. He stilled when he was fully sheathed, holding Hux’s gaze. “Hux,” he said, hushed.

Pressing up, Hux kissed him, and as he pushed his tongue past Kylo’s lips, Kylo began to thrust into him. He hit Hux at his core, with strong jolts of his body as they came together. The bed screeched and the metal headboard stuck the wall, but Hux wasn’t concerned. He cared only about the long drag of Kylo’s cock inside him and his substantial weight over top of him.

They clung to each other as Kylo took him, Hux eventually wrapping his legs around Kylo’s waist to haul him deeper. The scent of coconut rose with the musk of their bodies as they began to sweat and slip against each other. Kylo was panting into Hux’s mouth, occasionally invoking God and other times Hux’s name. Hux stroked the prominent knobs of his spine where it met the base of his skull; the hair there was just a bit damp.

Hux was so caught up in it that he barely heard when Kylo asked, “In or out?”

_What?_ He almost said it aloud, but realized after a beat.

“Tell me,” Kylo said stridently. “I can’t keep this up much longer.”

“In,” Hux said.

Kylo groaned, “ _Yes_ ,” and then gave a last thrust as he went taut.

Hux massaged the back of his skull, tangling his hair, and pressed soft kisses to his cheeks and brow while he came down from the pleasure. Kylo lazily kissed back, rubbing his long nose against Hux’s in a way that Hux was becoming extremely fond of. He went soft inside Hux before he finally pulled himself out and rolled onto the mattress next to him. Hux, for want to contact, rolled onto his side and laid a hand on Kylo’s chest. Kylo put his own over it, squeezing lightly.

“Was that good?” Hux asked after a time. “It’s been so long for me, I’m afraid, that I might have been a disappointment.” He hated to think that he was, especially since they hadn’t once changed positions. But neither of them had lasted altogether that long. Hux usually wasn’t sensitive to that sort of thing, but he wanted to please Kylo, and—to his chagrin—impress him.

“A disappointment?” Kylo said, lolling his head to the side to meet Hux’s eyes. “You’ve got to be joking. I was on fire, Professor.”

Hux couldn’t contain the satisfied smile. “As was I. Forgive me my concerns. I tend to overanalyze things.”

Kylo huffed a laugh. “Product of your profession, I guess. But you don’t need to think too hard about this.” He lifted Hux’s hand to his mouth and kissed the palm. He then set it against his cheek. “I can barely think at all after that. And if I have my way, we’re doing it again in about a half hour.”

“Oh, I see,” said Hux, affecting offense. “And what if I’m too tired for that?”

“Are you?” Kylo asked.

Hux shook his head and answered honestly: “Not in the least. I expect a third time, in fact.” He was going to be quite sore after this, he imagined, but it would be worth tomorrow discomfort.

Kylo made a kind of happy groaning noise as he gathered Hux to him and buried his face in his shoulder. It was childishly tender and Hux was charmed, holding him close with a contentment he hadn’t known in quite some time. What an unlikely match they were; but it wasn’t as objectionable has he had initially thought.

“Tell me about some of your other work,” Hux said. “I’m sure you have more stories to tell.”

“I do,” said Kylo, “but let’s get cleaned up first.”

They managed to squeeze into the small shower together, washing the oil from their bodies and scrubbing each other’s hair with fragrant soap. Kylo was playful, pinching the meat of Hux’s buttock while he washed off. He whispered little compliments into Hux’s ear, which had Hux blushing like a schoolboy who had just been kissed for the first time. For all Hux’s ability to write excellent and readable historical prose, he was rather useless at lovers’ talk. Instead, he touched Kylo with admiration and hoped it was enough. When Kylo didn’t object, he assumed it was.

In the end, the shower wasn’t so useful. Their caresses and teasing landed them shortly back in bed, this time with Hux sitting astride Kylo’s hips and riding him enthusiastically. They flipped from there to lying on their stomachs, Kylo over Hux’s back and pressing him into the mattress. He was powerful in his lovemaking—moreso than Hux’s previous partners—and Hux reasoned he could quickly become addicted to it.

They wiped down after that, taking some time to brush their teeth with the intention of sleeping some. Lying in bed, though, Kylo did tell Hux about some of his previous jobs around the world. Hux was sure he couldn’t live that life for long, but he admired how much Kylo clearly enjoyed it. They did dose after an hour or so, however Hux woke to Kylo pressing his hind end into Hux’s groin and soon enough Hux was hard again. Kylo was the one who sprawled out for Hux to take in this round.

“I know you like it the other way,” he said from his back, “and I like that, too, but I get in the mood for this sometimes.” He peered up at Hux with hungry eyes. “I want to feel you inside of me.”

Who was Hux to refuse? Kylo was greedy on the bottom, demanding Hux take him hard and fast. It left Hux exhausted and breathless—as they kept on far longer than the first and even the second time—but it was worth it to feel Kylo’s body tighten around him as Kylo came across his chest with a look of utter ecstasy. Hux lost himself shortly after, filling Kylo up so that he, too, was marked.

They collapsed in a spent heap after that, Kylo curled around Hux’s back and immediately snoring lightly. Hux drifted off warm and well-used, glad he was there in a rickety hotel bed in Brazil rather than in his own room on Starkiller Place.

 

* * *

 

“Well, Armitage, I can’t say I actually expected to see you succeed in this venture.” Dean Snoke was seated behind his unduly large desk, looking at the glinting Image of Shunra at the center of it. Hux had his hands primly folded in his lap, but he couldn’t keep the smug smile off of his face.

“It’s a pleasant surprise, then,” he said. “And I must thank you. The man you hired as a guide was extremely competent. I would not have made it to and from the Temple of Souls without him.”

Snoke steelped his fingers under his chin. “Yes, he’s a very capable sort. And he said he got on well with you.” He raised an eyebrow.

Hux inclined his head. “We had an excellent working relationship, sir.”

“Indeed,” said Snoke. He reached out and took the Image, which Hux hated to see in his desiccated hands. “The board will be pleased to have this as the centerpiece of our collection. Well done, Armitage.”

“I expect you’ll hold up your end of the bargain, then?” Hux said curtly. “My research funding will be awarded and I will have my sabbatical.”

“Yes, yes. It’s already been arranged.” He pushed a signed check across the desk toward Hux. “Here is your advance. The rest will come later. Do you plan on leaving immediately to conduct your research?”

Hux honestly didn’t have a plan as of yet, but the first thing he would do was go to the bank and cash the check. He would be free to do whatever he needed from there. “I will keep you apprised as to my arrangements,” he said, “but perhaps not consistently. This is _my_ sabbatical, after all, when I am not expected to report frequently to the university.”

Snoke frowned, but conceded, “Very well. Is there anything else?”

Hux rose. “No, sir. Good day.”

He strode from the office and out of the Vader building completely. It was getting on toward summer now, and the leaves were in full color: green and hissing in the light wind. Hux went across the quadrangle, where a few students were lying on blankets studying or smoking cigarettes as they conversed. He would miss the campus for the year, but the prospect of studying more of ancient Hosnia held him rapt. He was grinning to himself when he heard from the nearby curb, “Hey, Professor.”

Hux stopped and turned to see Kylo Ren sitting astride his motorcycle at the side of the street. He wore his battered leather jacket and hat, his hair pulled back into a tail at the nape of his neck. He and Hux had parted ways three days earlier, after their return to Arkanis. He had dropped Hux off at the door of his house on Starkiller Place, tipped his hat, and driven off. Hux realized only moments later that he had no way of contacting him again. That troubled him more than he would have liked.

He had resigned himself by now to not seeing him again, and had put the pleasant days of their liaison behind him, but he here was, looking as dashing as ever and grinning, slightly crooked teeth showing white.

“Hello, Kylo,” Hux said, approaching him with measured steps. “This is a surprise. I thought you might have left town.”

“I was going to,” said Kylo. “I have a new job. But I didn’t really get to say a proper goodbye to you before, and...I wanted to know if you got your funding after all.”

Hux brandished the check from his breast pocket. “I did.”

“Glad to hear it.” Kylo shifted on the seat of the motorcycle, hesitating. “Well, uh, you going to get started right away?”

“I thought I might like to go home first and get my feet under me,” Hux replied, “but then I’ll make arrangements to travel.” Slyly, he said, “I think I should like to go back to Hosnia and collect some more notes and even some photographs. There’s much more to be discovered there. And I think I might telephone Doctors Skywalker and Dameron to join me.”

“That’s real good of you, Professor,” Kylo chuckled. “Sounds like you’ve got some big things ahead of you.”

That sounded very final, but Hux wasn’t quite yet ready to part with him. “Ah, you said you have a new job?”

“Yeah. You ever heard about the legendary Red Blade?”

“I’m afraid I haven’t,” said Hux, “though I assume it’s an artifact to be recovered.”

“It is,” Kylo said. “I’m setting off for India tomorrow.”

Hux asked quietly, “Alone?”

Kylo blinked up at him. “I don’t have to be.”

Hux chewed his cheek. He had work to do on his sabbatical; he couldn’t just go gallivanting off to India on a quest for some sort of ancient weapon. And yet he could already feel his resistance wavering. “How long will you be gone?”

“A few weeks,” Kylo said with a shrug. “Maybe more, but it’s not a whole year or anything. After that, well, I wouldn’t mind heading back to Hosnia for a while.”

Hux warmed from the inside out. “Is that so?”

Kylo patted the back of his motorcycle seat. “Let me give you a ride home, and we’ll talk more about it there.”

Tucking his check back into his pocket, Hux took hold of Kylo’s shoulder to steady himself as he swung his leg over to sit astride the motorcycle.

“Arms around my waist, Professor,” Kylo said. “And hold on.”

Hux pressed against Kylo’s back, hands fisted in his jacket, as Kylo started the engine. Seconds later, they were racing down the street, off to their next adventure.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Katie Arts](http://katiesghosts.tumblr.com/) drew [Hux on Kylo’s motorcycle](http://gefionne.tumblr.com/post/173191140585/katiesghosts-smile-for-the-camera) off on their next adventure!
> 
> The awesome [inchells](http://inchells.tumblr.com/) drew [Hux and Kylo and the Image of Shunra](http://gefionne.tumblr.com/post/177102840300/i-had-to-draw-something-for-gefionne-amazing-fic).
> 
> [nadiasna7](https://nadiasna7.tumblr.com/) drew [Hux's sketch of Kylo in his journal](http://gefionne.tumblr.com/post/177276263470/nadiasna7-my-life-in-ruins-chapter-5-by-amazing).
> 
> The fantastic [unicornsandbutane](https://unicornsandbutane.tumblr.com/) drew an incredible newspaper article [announcing the reveal of the Image of Shunra at the Arkanis University Museum](http://gefionne.tumblr.com/post/177567263800/today-i-read-my-life-in-ruins-by-gefionne-and-was). I LOVE IT!
> 
> An epilogue:  
> [Katie ](http://katiesghosts.tumblr.com/) drew [Hux and Kylo thirty years on in their adventuring relationship,](http://gefionne.tumblr.com/post/177211610220/katiesghosts-thirty-years-later-inspired-by) for which I wrote a short piece from Kylo's POV.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm on tumblr [here](http://gefionne.tumblr.com/).


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